DENVER – A top-notch defense and a string of good chances are fueling Denver’s resurgence; The Broncos foundation could return them to the kind of relevance they haven’t had since beating Carolina in Super Bowl 50 more than eight years ago.

The Broncos (4-3) cap off a hot streak when they host the Panthers (1-6) on Sunday. They won four of the five matches they faced against opponents who were missing key players one after another.

Antoine Winfield Jr. for Buccaneers. and there was no Vita Vea; The Raiders were short Davante Adams before the trade; and the Saints’ long list of sidelined stars included Derek Carr, Taysom Hill and Chris Olave.

The Broncos beat all three teams by an average of 19.3 points.

The Panthers reinstated 2023 No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young at quarterback on Wednesday following Andy Dalton’s car accident in Charlotte a day earlier that left him with a sprained thumb.

“I’m excited for him to get another opportunity and get out there and play some football,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said of Young, who was benched two games into the season after starting the season 0-2, giving him a 2-0 record. 16 points in the NFL.

So the Broncos could get another big run on Sunday.

Or maybe not.

“He’s an elite processor, the ball comes out very quickly,” Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. “There’s a reason why he’s the first choice (overall), right? So it wasn’t just one team. It was a league mark. So he has talent. “This is not his problem.”

The problem is inexperience at the pro level, as is the case with Denver’s rookie QB Bo Nix.

“He’s a young player who hasn’t played much,” Joseph said of Young. “So he’s still trying to figure out who he is, and so are we.” he defined.

Joseph said that while Dalton, an older pocket passer, and Young, a mobile, dual-threat QB, are very different in style, the Panthers’ offense isn’t that different.

“What they do with each quarterback is a little different because of the physicality, but they haven’t changed much from a system standpoint,” he said. “Obviously, when you face a guy like Bryce who can tackle, you say, ‘We’ve got to have a different rush plan, that’s always possible.

“But we prepare for both quarterbacks every week, right? They have a 1 and a 2, so we don’t miss any signs of what number 2 can do. So nothing has changed. It was in our plans, just like we planned the matches on Monday and Tuesday. So now he’s playing.”

Dalton can play too. Canales said Dalton could be Denver’s backup.

Young is taking his second chance in stride.

“I’m not really a big-picture, text-sending person,” Young said. “I want to do everything I can today during meetings and training to be at my best. And then of course I want to do everything I can.” Sunday. Whatever comes out of this and how things are perceived in the building and in the world, those are things I can’t always control. “I just want to do whatever I can to help the team and that’s where my focus is.”

Nix mix

Nix had an up-and-down rookie season with some statistically poor performances as well as some games with big numbers. He was sacked only nine times and had only five interceptions, but he also threw only five touchdowns.

Coach Sean Payton said his running ability was a revelation. Nix’s 254 yards on the ground are just 46 yards fewer than Broncos running back Javonte Williams, and he has three TD runs to Williams’ two.

Different defenses

While the Broncos’ offense has work to be done — Nix is ​​the team’s 14th QB since Peyton Manning retired after Super Bowl 50 and Payton is the sixth head coach in that span — Denver’s defense is struggling with the Broncos’ former receiver First class under Joseph’s management. He served as head coach from 2017-18 and returned as coordinator last season.

The Broncos lead the league in red zone interception rate and yards per play, rank second in sacks, third in total yards allowed per game and fifth in passing yards.

The Panthers have problems on both sides of the ball. They managed to score 243 points in seven games, the third most by any team in the Super Bowl era, and were just seven points behind the 1973 Oilers and 1966 Falcons. Carolina got progressively worse over the last four games, giving up 34 points to Cincinnati, 36 to Chicago, 38 to Atlanta, and 40 to Washington.

injury error

Canales hasn’t had a pleasant indoctrination into the head coaching world this season. Through four games, the Panthers lost three key starters (defensive lineman Derrick Brown, linebacker Shaq Thompson and center Austin Corbett) to season-ending injuries and running back Adam Thielen (hamstring).

“I know we will come out of this stronger,” Canales said.

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AP Sports Writer Steve Reed in Charlotte, North Carolina, contributed to this report.