Zach Allen isn’t dancing around it. The Denver Broncos defensive tackle told the Denver Post that his unit fully expects to break the NFL’s single-season sack record in 2026. Not just sniff it. Not just come close again. Break it.
The 1984 Chicago Bears have held the mark at 72 sacks for over 40 years. Last season the Broncos got to 68, which was four short. They finished second all-time in that category, but second isn’t what they’re after.
“We came close to the sack record last year, and we fully expect to break it this year,” Allen said. He credited defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for scheming up one-on-one matchups and pointed to the roster depth as the real reason for the confidence. “We’ve got a lot of good guys, and that’s going to create a lot of opportunities for people.”
The pass rush is the obvious strength. Nik Bonitto is coming off a monster season and draws constant attention from offensive lines. If teams try to double him, someone else gets a free lane. That’s the math Joseph is betting on. Add in a secondary headlined by Pat Surtain II and quarterbacks don’t have many easy answers. Coverage holds up long enough for the front four to get home.
The schedule got significantly tougher
There’s a catch though. Denver finished first in the AFC West last year, which means they drew a first-place schedule for 2026. That’s a different level of competition than what they faced during that 68-sack run.
They open on the road against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, which is about as brutal a test as you can draw in Week 1. Then they get the Jacksonville Jaguars at home before hosting the Los Angeles Rams and traveling to Santa Clara to face the San Francisco 49ers. That’s four straight opponents with the offensive line talent and quarterback mobility to disrupt a pass rush plan.
But Allen wasn’t hedging. He didn’t bring up the schedule or the weight of expectations. He just talked about what this group can do and the fact that they’ve already proven they’re close.
The 1984 Bears did it in a 16-game season. The 2025 Broncos did it in 17. That one extra game changes the math, but the record is what it is. If Denver gets to 73, nobody is going to ask about the extra week.
They’ll get their first real shot at it in Kansas City. That’s when we’ll find out if the talk is just noise or if this defense is really chasing history.
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