Broncos: "It sucks" - Alex Singleton accepts massive challenge of topping Broncos’ iconic 2015 defense that beat Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, Cam Newton

One of the top defensive units in the NFL last season is aiming to surpass one of their most impressive teams on that side of the ball in 2025. The 2015 Denver Broncos, known as the “No Fly Zone,” went down as one of the most iconic defenses in NFL history, capturing Super Bowl 50 because of that elite group and an elite quarterback in Peyton Manning.

Linebacker Alex Singleton is welcoming the pressure of Denver’s strong defensive unit in 2025, potentially being as good as that 2015 squad.

“You should want that pressure. You should crave hat and desire it. It almost sucks when you don’t have it,” Singleton said on DNVR. “For a little bit, getting here, there wasn’t a lot of that going on here. Now, I would say, there are people that are ready to — that are hungry for that success.

“It’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Let’s be better than the 2015 defense.’ Stuff where like that’s what we need to chase.”

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The 2015 Broncos, coached by Gary Kubiak, shut down Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers before ousting Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and beating league MVP Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers to capture their third Super Bowl crown. Those three quarterbacks were held to a combined 14.7 points per game by the Denver defense in the playoffs that season.

The 2024 Broncos led the league in team sacks (63) while allowing the seventh-fewest yards per game in the regular season (317.1).

Singleton led the Broncos in tackles in 2022 and 2023. He had only 31 tackles last season in limited action after rupturing his ACL in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Broncos' defense ranked first by Pro Football Network

Sean Payton has done a tremendous job turning around a Broncos team that registered a 5-12 season before his arrival. Their success has been due to their defense and they’re expected to carry this team in 2025.

Pro Football Network ranked them as the top defense heading into this season, noting that Patrick Surtain II is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. He’s expected to be paired with Jahdae Barron at cornerback next season and make them a difficult team to throw the ball against, reminiscent of the 2015 team.

In 2024, they had two All-Pro defensive players, Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto, with Surtain and Bonitto being named to the Pro Bowl as well.

About the author

Joel Lefevre is an NFL journalist at Sportskeeda with over six years of experience in the field with GRV Media, Corus Entertainment, News 1130 and 93.1 The One Radio.

Joel graduated in Broadcast Journalism at the Western Academy of Broadcasting, and being an avid NFL fan, these two passions came together.

His favorite team is the Jacksonville Jaguars, and Joel has followed them through the highs and lows ever since they made the AFC Championship Game in the 1996 season. His favorite sporting moment was their 2017 AFC Championship Game because it was as close as the Jaguars ever came to winning a Super Bowl. A missed call on a Myles Jack fumble recovery took away a touchdown that could have sent Jacksonville to the Super Bowl.

When not writing Joel loves reality TV, in particular Big Brother and Survivor, and is a former houseguest on Big Brother Canada Season 4. Family and loved ones are extremely important to Joel and he keeps in touch with them as much as possible, and also enjoys going to the movies, going for walks and taking care of his dogs.

Know More

Denver Broncos Fans! Check out the latest Denver Broncos Schedule and dive into the Broncos Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.

Edited by Krutik Jain