01/23/2026
Houston vs. Denver vs. New England: sacks and turnovers
When you compare these three defenses, the difference is how efficiently pressure turns into takeaways.
Denver generated the most sacks by a wide margin (68), but those sacks produced relatively few turnovers (14 total), meaning it took nearly five sacks for Denver to force a single turnover.
New England was more efficient, needing just over two sacks per turnover (35 sacks, 15 turnovers).
Houston was the most opportunistic defense of the group — their pressure consistently disrupted the ball. With 47 sacks and 29 turnovers, it took fewer than two sacks to create a turnover, showing a clear emphasis on strip attempts, tipped balls, and aggressive pursuit of the football.
To me, this explains a lot about the Patriots game last week. Houston got to Maye and forced turnovers, but he didn’t quit.
Denver will likely sack Maye, but they are not the ball hawks that Houston is. They average 4 sacks per game, 68 on the year. They will get to Maye, but those sacks are statistically less likely to lead to turnovers that compromise field position.
Go Pats!
Graphic created by Patrick Healy
