For the first time in NFL history, there were six unbeaten teams entering Week 6. After the Atlanta Falcons fell to the New Orleans Saints Thursday night, only five remain, which is the most since the merger in 1970.

The Denver Broncos are one of the unbeaten teams and a major reason for that has been their stellar defense.

This past Sunday was a prime example of Denver’s prowess defensively, as they picked Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown off twice, with Aqib Talib returning one of them for a touchdown.

That was the fourth touchdown for the Broncos defense on the year and Talib has two of them.

For whatever reason, the Broncos defensive unit isn’t quite getting the credit they deserve from the media and fans alike. Sure, after every Broncos victory you hear about how the defense bailed out Peyton Manning and the offense, but the narrative typically ends there.

Over the past three weeks, Manning has thrown seven interceptions and for the season, the future Hall of Famer has tossed 10 picks, which leads the league. While those numbers scream “washed up,” head coach Gary Kubiak has a different way of seeing it.

“He got us in position to win the game, and, obviously, he’s got plays he wants back,” Kubiak stated after Sunday’s overtime victory over the Cleveland Browns. “So that’s a continuing process of me working with him and getting him as comfortable as I possibly can, and I know he’s very capable of getting rid of those mistakes and hanging on to the great plays that he’s making. He’s our leader. He’ll keep battling.”

The jury is still out on whether or not Manning will be able to turn things around, but one thing they don’t have to worry about is the defense. 

“This is the best team that I’ve been on, and it’s not just because we’re 6-0. It’s because we don’t listen to the outside and we just keep working,” cornerback Chris Harris stressed. “We believe in ourselves and we believe in our abilities.”

As a unit, Denver leads the NFL in sacks (26) and is second in interceptions (9).

It would be difficult to expect Denver to keep their takeaway totals going at this rate, but considering how talented their front seven is, there will be several opportunities for Talib and Harris on the back end.

“The best thing about being 6-0, is that we know that we can get so much better,” Harris said. “That’s what we’re going to use this bye week for.”

Out of all the undefeated teams, Denver’s path to this point has probably been the ugliest, but linebacker Brandon Marshall doesn’t care how it looks.

“We’re not going to apologize for being 6-0,” Marshall added. “We’re not going to apologize for how we’re winning, because we are winning.”

From this point on, people need to stop concerning themselves with the struggles of Manning and start admiring the special defensive unit in the Mile High City.