ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Statistically, the Denver Broncos have the best defense in the NFL, and it could be getting even better this weekend.
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw is eligible to come off IR against the New York Giants (2-4) on Sunday after recovering from a quadriceps injury that has sidelined him since summertime.
Greenlaw practiced Wednesday for the first time since Sept. 12.
“Dre looked good out there,” star cornerback Patrick Surtain II said. “Obviously, his first day back out there on the field in a minute. It seems like he's very sharp on everything, the game plan, so I'm very excited for him.”
And for how much better the Broncos (4-2) can be with their prized free-agent acquisition's Denver debut.
“I think it's awesome,” edge rusher Jonathon Cooper said. "Obviously, we know the type of player Dre Greenlaw is, you watch the film. And you add that type of dynamic to this defense with him being right, it's just going to take us even to another level.
“I'm excited for him to return.”
Denver's defense leads the NFL in several categories, including red zone defense (28.6%) and third-down defense (27.1%). Their 254.2 yards per game yield is just behind Atlanta's 253.4. Their league-best 30 sacks are 10 more than second-place Pittsburgh and Nik Bonitto leads the NFL with eight sacks, putting him on pace for 23.
Cooper was named the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday, a week after Bonitto earned the honor.
“It's just motivating me to do more,” Cooper said.
Cooper and Bonitto are the first Broncos to win the league's weekly defensive award back-to-back.
“I'm just trying to beat him. I can't let him take over me. I should be out there with sacks with him right now," said Cooper, who has 4 1/2 sacks. "But no, I think it's really cool. That's my brother. I shout him out every time I get a chance to. Yeah, he's one of the best football players I've ever played with.
“He does it one week, I've got to make sure I'm right there with him, you know?"
The Broncos held the Jets to minus-10 yards passing Sunday in a gritty 13-11 win in London, where they allowed QB Justin Fields to complete just nine passes and sacked him nine times, the second-highest one-game total in franchise history.
Cooper's eager to see what Denver's defense can do Sunday when it faces Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart.
“Yeah, I mean, he's a young guy. He's feeling himself a little bit. He's out there running around, he's got the chain on, he's dancing,” Cooper said. “You know, looks like everybody needs something. But we went against QBs who have run around the pocket and everything, try to do stuff with their legs. So, it ain't nothing we haven't seen.”
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New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson (5) is challenged by Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) in the second half of an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) loses his helmet after he was tackled by the Broncos Jonathon Cooper in the second half of an NFL football game between the Denver Broncos and the New York Jets, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in London. (Adam Davy/PA via AP)
FILE - Denver Broncos linebacker Dre Greenlaw (57) warms up at an NFL football training practice July 28, 2025, in Centennial, Colo. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)
BALTIMORE (AP) — Isaiah Likely clasped his hands around the football in the end zone and took a couple of steps forward. The referee signaled a touchdown, and the Baltimore Ravens and their fans began to celebrate the go-ahead score in the fourth quarter of a pivotal game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
An instant later, the touchdown call was overturned. A replay review showed Likely lost control of the ball before taking a third step with it, and the incomplete pass turned out to be a significant factor in Baltimore's 27-22 defeat Sunday.
In a season that hasn't remotely met expectations, the Ravens were dealt another devastating blow by a very close and controversial call.
At first glance, it appeared as if Likely held the ball long enough before Pittsburgh cornerback Joey Porter Jr. knocked if from the tight end's grasp. That's certainly how Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson saw it.
“If you were on the field with us, I believe you’d have thought it was a touchdown, too,” Jackson said afterward. “But I can’t do the ref’s job. So, it is what it is.”
Heck, even Pittsburgh quarterback Aaron Rodgers was getting ready to get on the field in comeback mode.
“I was thinking, we got to put a drive together," Rodgers said. “And then they moved the ball back, and they’re lining up for the next play.”
The definition of a catch is not common knowledge, but the refs were on top of it.
NFL Vice President of Instant Replay Mark Butterworth said: “The receiver controlled the ball in the air, had his right foot down, then his left foot down. The third step is an act common to the game, and before he could get his third foot down, the ball was ripped out. Therefore, it was an incomplete pass.”
The call came on a first down play from the Pittsburgh 13 with 2:43 remaining and the score 27-22. Jackson still had three more chances to get the ball in the end zone, but his fourth down pass from the 8 fell incomplete.
“We wanted it to be a touchdown, but unfortunately it wasn’t,” Jackson said. “So we just tried to do what we could to drive the ball down the field and put points on the board.”
Baltimore got the ball back one more time just after the two-minute warning, but the game ended with Jackson being sacked at the Pittsburgh 38. With the defeat, the Ravens (6-7) fell a game behind the rival Steelers for first place in the AFC North.
Things might have been different had Likely maintained his grip on the ball.
“You’ve got to live with the ref’s call,” Likely said.
That wasn't the only call that failed to go Baltimore's way. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Rodgers was seemingly intercepted on a batted ball that went high in the air and was grabbed by Rodgers and Ravens linebacker Teddye Buchanan. Officials called it an interception, then decided that Rodgers had possession when his knee hit the ground.
“The offense had initial control of the ball and ended up being down by contact,” Butterworth said.
Two close calls, both of which did not work out for Baltimore, contributed heavily to dropping the Ravens below .500 and a game out of first place.
“We still have four games left. We can still turn it around, I believe,” Jackson said.
But when asked his level of frustration at this point in a disappointing season, he quickly replied, “Through the roof!”
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Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols (26) tackles Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (24) breaks up a pass intended for Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
