PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Broncos outside linebacker Nik Bonitto had not seen Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts since their days at Oklahoma. And Bonitto was plenty excited to “see my dog J-Hurts” again in Philadelphia, he said this last week.
No quarterback in this league, though, has been excited to see Bonitto through five weeks, regardless of old ties. Because seeing too much of Bonitto has meant a swift faceplant in the turf.
In Sunday’s miraculous 21-17 Broncos win, Hurts got up close and personal with Bonitto, as Denver’s outside linebacker racked up another 2.5 sacks on what’s slowly shaping up as a pass-rushing season for the ages.
One sack came on a 3rd-and-15, as Eagles right tackle Jordan Mailata got tangled up. And the outside linebacker’s moxie has grown outsized enough that he started mocking the Eagles’ “Fly Eagles Fly” celebration after he wrestled Hurts down for a loss.
Denver was down 17-3 at that point. To the defending Super Bowl champions. Bonitto flapped his arms as if Denver was up.
“He’s incredible,” defensive lineman Zach Allen said. “If you leave him one-on-one, he’s going to win.”
That statement, of course, contained a key caveat: if you leave him one-on-one.
Bonitto has seven sacks through five games, and teammates from Allen to Pat Surtain II are beginning to launch a very vocal campaign for him as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. A massive part of that is a credit to Bonitto’s journey, from a raw but tentative talent to a driven force of nature. But another part of it is the fact that few NFL offensive lines can consistently throw double-teams at him.
That third-quarter sack of Hurts was the result of a domino effect. Bonitto tried fighting inside on Eagles left tackle Mailata, who tied him up momentarily. Allen, meanwhile, pushed Eagles left guard Brett Toth directly into Philadelphia center Cam Jurgens. John Franklin-Myers came looping around to the hole opened by Toth’s absence, forcing Mailata to pick up Franklin-Myers — which gave Bonitto a red carpet directly to ol’ buddy Hurts.
Nik Bonitto with the sack and a Fly Eagles Fly??? pic.twitter.com/X09uEuDgvh
— NFL on CBS
(@NFLonCBS) October 5, 2025
Quietly — or not-so-quietly for opposing quarterbacks — Denver’s defensive line has buoyed Bonitto’s ability to focus on winning one-on-one matchups. Allen came into Sunday’s game leading all NFL interior defensive linemen in quarterback hits (nine). The next-closest through four games, Titans DL Jeffrey Simmons, had five. Franklin-Myers and D.J. Jones, meanwhile, have consistently tied up opposing centers and guards in the pass-rush.
And outside linebacker Jonathan Cooper has been every bit as impressive as Bonitto in terms of raw athleticism. Through Week 4, Cooper had the fastest average get-off (0.69 seconds) of any defender with at least 10 quarterback pressures, according to NFL’s Next Gen Stats.
Bonitto, for one, took the time Sunday to heap shine on his defensive line, pointing to Cooper and Franklin-Myers as “selfless” for fitting their rush lanes.
“I feel like I’m playing really well, but I’d be damned if I didn’t give credit to the whole D-line,” Bonitto said. “I mean, just the way we were rushing today, keeping them in the pocket, making them very uncomfortable and hesitant.
“Obviously, I had the sacks. But I felt like everybody was rushing really well today.”
Bonitto added that he felt Denver’s defensive line room has the best connection of any group in the league. It’s hard to argue through another roaring start leading the NFL in sacks. And his pairing with Allen, after two monster extensions this summer, is set to bear fruit long beyond whatever heights arrive in 2025.
“The fact that, you know, I get to play with him, together for the next four years, is awesome,” Allen said.
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