For most of the early season, the Broncos faced an all-star collection of mobile quarterbacks: Andrew Luck, Alex Smith, Russell Wilson, Geno Smith and Colin Kaepernick. Denver was an overtime possession away from beating them all.

Despite the team success, the Broncos’ overhauled pass rush struggled to generate consistent pressure. Defensive end DeMarcus Ware got off to a good start, but linebacker Von Miller received respites at crucial stretches as he completed his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that occurred Dec. 22.

The mobile quarterbacks escaped, and the Broncos averaged one sack every 17.5 pass plays in September.

The pass rush improved in October. Against Smith, Kaepernick and the only immobile passers Denver faced this year — the Arizona Cardinals’ Drew Stanton and Logan Thomas — the Broncos amassed 13 sacks in the past three games, one every 10.5 pass plays, well above the league rate of one sack every 13.4 pass plays.

Miller leads the league with eight sacks. Ware is right behind with seven. This is the “brutal nasty” of which Ware spoke when he signed with the Broncos in March. It took a few weeks into the regular season and Miller becoming further removed from the ACL injury, but now, the Broncos’ pass rush is restored to the level of its 2012 peak, when Miller and linebacker Elvis Dumervil combined for 29.5 sacks.

A six-sack performance against the 49ers represented the Broncos’ highest sack output since Week 16 of the 2012 season. Denver kept Kaepernick off-balance and rarely let him escape the pocket. Much of the credit can go to the Broncos’ interior pass rushers, who frequently drew double teams, leaving Miller and Ware in one-on-one matchups on the edge.

“It’s sort of having really unselfish guys in the middle that can get good pocket presence,” Ware said. “Quote unquote, they’re not making the plays that they want to make, but their presence is felt from their teammates and what they bring to the game.”

The pass rushers’ work Thursday against the San Diego Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers could be even more crucial to the outcome. Outstanding coverage has not been enough to prevent Rivers from completing passes the last two years, as he drops the football through narrow windows.

“They’re going to make some tough throws into some tight coverages, and you’ve just got to line back up to the next play,” cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “I remember last year, Kayvon (Webster) had some great coverage, and (Rivers) was able to just fit the ball in, so you can’t be discouraged.”

At the same time, the Broncos’ pass rush is miles ahead of where it was last year. On Sunday, Denver threw some more wrinkles into its pressure plan, using linebacker Brandon Marshall as a blitzer on two of its six sacks. Another sack came when Miller, working as a linebacker instead of as a pass-rushing end, followed defensive end Malik Jackson through.

“The pass rush is going to be big,” Marshall said. “(Rivers) drops it in, and if we can get Rivers off the spot, if we can get him to run and try to use his legs — which is not his best asset — then that will be a win for us on that down. We’ve just got to get him off the spot, play tight coverage as well, but if we get these coverage sacks, we’ll be good.”

Coverage has not been a problem for the Broncos in recent weeks. Even so, Rivers has no hesitation about throwing downfield, and he has confidence in his receivers to make tough grabs in traffic.

“We’re definitely going to make those throws a challenge,” Harris said. “He’s going to have to make some perfect throws.”

Rivers did just that last year against Denver, but he didn’t have Ware and Miller lining up against him, either.

NOTES: K Brandon McManus did not practice Tuesday because of a right groin strain. McManus battled this injury in recent weeks, but it has not kept him from kicking in a game. … RB Montee Ball did not practice Tuesday and is expected to miss a third consecutive game. He sustained a groin strain against the Cardinals on Oct. 4. … CB Omar Bolden will go through the NFL’s post-concussion protocol after being injured on a collision with 49ers WR Bruce Ellington in Sunday’s game. He did not practice Tuesday. … LB Steven Johnson missed Tuesday’s practice with what coach John Fox called a mild ankle sprain that occurred Sunday. Johnson has been one of the Broncos’ busiest special teamers this year.