The Broncos’ defense wants to impose its will. It wants opponents to fear it. It wants to hit so hard and so often that it can see quarterbacks beginning to tap out near the end of the game.

In its ascent to becoming the NFL’s premier defense, Denver tightropes and often crosses the line between dirty and clean. The season opener Thursday night against Carolina was the perfect example as Broncos’ defensive players initiated helmet-to-helmet contact with Panthers quarterback Cam Newton on at least four occasions.

Broncos defenders said Friday they take pride in their 1-0 record and don’t really care who is judging their style of play. Denver coach Gary Kubiak takes pride in the fire and intensity his defense brings.

“We play hard. We talk about playing hard all the time,” Kubiak said. “That was a challenge – when you play that guy and he is such a great player. I mean, he’s a top player in football – they are designed runs for him. You better tackle him like a back. You better treat him that way or you’re going to have a long night as a defensive football team.”

The most egregious hit, and the only one that drew a personal foul penalty, was delivered by Broncos safety Darian Stewart with less than a minute left in the fourth quarter. Stewart saw a sack in sight and launched at Newton, who braced inward for contact, lowering his body position slightly. Stewart landed a hard helmet-to-helmet head shot that left Newton sprawling on the ground, dazed.

“It was just me being aggressive. He lowered his head at the last moment. It was nothing I could really do about that at that point,” Stewart said. “I’ve been getting a lot of hell for that. I’m not going to stop being aggressive. I wasn’t sure if he was running it or what he was doing? I’m always thinking he’s running it with a player like that. So I was just trying to be aggressive and make him feel me.”

Stewart said he expects to be fined for the hit because nearly every player who delivers a helmet-to-helmet hit on a quarterback is fined, but he won’t change his style of play except to try to avoid the helmet. Neither will linebacker Brandon Marshall, who delivered a helmet-to-helmet hit to Newton in the third quarter. His hit wasn’t called a penalty, but USA Today reported that the league office determined it a missed call.

“It’s tough, man. The guy is a big defensive end playing quarterback. What are we supposed to do? We can hit him in the legs sometimes, but his legs are strong,” Marshall said. “We’re going to treat him like a running back. You have to hit him.” Related Articles September 9, 2016 Brandon Marshall loses endorsement deal after kneeling for national anthem

September 9, 2016 Jhabvala: NFL fails to protect Cam Newton after multiple helmet-to-helmet hits from Broncos

September 9, 2016 Broncos Insider: Wide left! Denver wins thriller against Panthers

September 8, 2016 Cam Newton on loss to Broncos: “We came in and had opportunities to put them away and we didn’t”

September 8, 2016 Broncos defense comes up clutch to earn hard fought victory

September 8, 2016 Defense’s big plays key Broncos victory in season opener vs. Panthers

Newton took seven quarterback hits and three sacks in the second half after taking only one quarterback hit and no sacks in the first half. The Broncos ramped up their intensity in rallying from a 17-7 halftime deficit and said they saw the difference in Newton and the Panthers’ offense.

“Everybody knows what type of player Cam is – he’s the league MVP. There’s only one way to stop him, it’s being physical with him and the physicality you bring to him will affect everything,” Broncos outside linebacker Shane Ray said. “In the second half, he didn’t run as much because we were hitting him. You don’t do that – he’s going to run all over teams and be Superman the whole game. That’s how you gotta play. That’s what we do here.”

Because Newton took so many hits to the head, but never missed a snap, there were questions afterward whether the NFL’s concussion protocol was followed properly.

“There was communication between medical personnel on the Carolina sideline, including the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant, and the two independent certified athletic trainer spotters in the booth,” the NFL said in a statement Friday referencing the Stewart hit on Newton. “During stoppage in play while on-field officials were in the process of administrating penalties, the unaffiliated neurotrauma consultant and team physician requested video from the spotters and reviewed the play. They concluded there were no indications of a concussion that would require further evaluation and the removal of the player from the game.”

Panthers coach Ron Rivera told reporters Friday that Newton passed several concussion tests in the 18 hours after the game and he wasn’t in the NFL’s concussion protocol. Still, many Broncos knew the wear their hits were taking on Newton. They said it was one of the reasons they won Thursday night.

“We hear (what) everybody says about us being dirty, but we’re not going to stop being aggressive,” Stewart said. “That’s what we try to bring every week to make everybody fear us. That’s why we were No.1 last year. We were physical and that’s what we want to do this year.”

Kubiak said it was a physical game by both teams.

“How much there was (illegal contact to the head), I disagree with that. I saw two plays where he left the pocket where there were big collisions. There were a lot of collisions in the game,” Kubiak said. “We were playing hard. They were playing hard. They knocked the heck out of us a lot too. So we’ll see what the league says.”