The Denver Broncos expected rookie pass-rusher Bradley Chubb to make an instant impact in his rookie season, and even though the Broncos dropped their fourth straight game on Sunday, the fifth-overall pick in this spring’s draft turned that promise into potential, tying the team record for sacks in a game by a rookie with three.
Chubb, who tied Rulon Jones (1980), Reggie Hayward (2001) and Elvis Dumervil (2006) with those three sacks, also had five tackles — almost doubling his total for the season.
“It was cool,” Chubb told Eric Goodman of Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 on Tuesday. “It was just one of those games where I got into a zone, got comfortable and had great teammates around me. Everything just fell into place; I can’t take full credit for it, because on a lot of those sacks, Shane [Ray] was pressuring guys, [Adam] Gotsis was pressuring… so it was an overall team effort.”
Four-time Pro Bowler Andrew Whitworth was Chubb’s most common victim on Sunday, “It allows me to think that I can play at the high level in this league,” Chubb said. “I know I can make plays at this level; it’s just about being consistent now — doing it week-in and week-out.”
The Broncos lost to the Rams, in part, due to the fact that they set dubious defensive records in the process; becoming the first team in NFL history to allow back-to-back 270-plus rushing yards and back-to-back 200-plus outing to different running backs — Todd Gurley on Sunday, and the Jets’ Isaiah Crowell the week prior. Even a rookie knows that’s a problem. “We’ve got to be more disciplined in our gaps, making the tackles — doing our jobs,” Chubb said. “We’ve got to make the plays and finish them off.”
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