Denver Broncos

Broncos' Sanders is an absolute slot machine on third down

Published Sep. 24, 2015 12:01 a.m. ET

foxsports

If it's third and anything, Peyton Manning knows where he's throwing the ball.

So do opposing defenses, but that hasn't slowed Emmanuel Sanders' production.

The Broncos receiver leads the entire league with 11 third-down catches. That's three more than Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and five more than New York's Odell Beckham Jr.

When he's not picking up the sticks (three conversions vs. Kansas City last week), he's picking up touchdowns. Both of Sanders' scores came on third down.

According to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, 66.8 percent of Sanders' catches have been on third down. That's staggering, but not surprising to head coach Gary Kubiak.

“It's tough to get your hands on him if you bump him," Kubiak told Legwold. “His quickness, and I love his energy to play. He really loves to play."

(h/t ESPN)