After Zach Allen had his 40th quarterback hit of the season two weeks ago, it didn’t take long for J.J. Watt to reach out to his former teammate.

The defensive linemen were Arizona teammates in 2021 and 2022. Watt was thrilled when Allen, now with the Broncos, joined him Dec. 14 against Green Bay to become just the second player in NFL history to have 40 or more quarterback hits in consecutive seasons since the statistic was first tracked in 2006.

OK, so Watt did it four years in a row with the Houston Texans, from 2012-15, and twice in that stretch had 50 or more. But the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Allen, an interior lineman, was ready to say his piece.

“(Watt) was super congratulatory,’’ Allen told The Denver Gazette. “But we were joking about it. Obviously, he did it four times. But he got to play on the edge a little more, so I think it might make it a little easier doing it. I was joking that it might be harder for me, but it was all in good fun.”

With one game remaining, Denver leads the NFL with 64 sacks, a franchise record. The Broncos are unlikely to break Chicago’s NFL record of 72 sacks, set in a 16-game season in 1984, but they have had a historic season rushing the passer.

A staggering 17 players have a sack stat for Denver. And while Allen’s sack figure of 6.5 this season might look a bit modest, he has had more impact on the pass rush than any Denver player.

Allen, 28, has a league-high 45 quarterback hits. According to Next Gen Stats, he leads all NFL interior defensive linemen with 57 quarterback pressures and is tied for the lead with 22 coming on third down.

“One way or another, he’s going to find a way to get in the backfield, whether it’s in the run or pass game,’’ said outside linebacker Nik Bonitto, who leads the Broncos with 12.5 sacks. “That’s just the type of guy Zach is. He puts in the work throughout the week. He’s one of the smartest people I’ve been around as far as just knowing what’s coming at him. So it’s no surprise that he gets the production that he does.”

After Allen played his first four NFL seasons with the Cardinals from 2019-22, he signed a three-year, $45.75 million deal with Denver in March 2023. In his first Broncos season, he had 22 quarterback hits and five sacks.

Those numbers increased to 40 quarterback hits and 8.5 sacks last season and he made second-team All-Pro. This season, Allen, on the heels of signing a four-year, $102 million contract extension, has made his first Pro Bowl and is a strong candidate for first-team All-Pro honors.

“Obviously, this year it’s been a little bit harder just because people knew who I was coming into this year,’’ Allen said. “You get a little more double teams and stuff like that but still being able to excel and do the same if not more, is cool. But I wouldn’t be able to do it without (his teammates).”

Allen then reeled off the names of defensive linemen John Franklin-Myers, D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach and outside linebackers Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper, Jonah Elliss and Dondrea Tillman. He called it a “really special group” of defensive players.

Allen had hoped this season to reach 10 sacks for the first time in his seven-year career. While that is unlikely to happen, he still has impacted games greatly for the 13-3 Broncos.

“It’s harder to get sacks when you’re inside because you’re running straight at the quarterback,’’ Allen said. “He can see you and throw it away. There’s not a lot of blindside sacks from three-technique (defensive tackles) or from a nose (tackle). But (the quarterback hits statistic) shows that you’re going to affect the game from the inside, so it means a lot. It’s a cool stat.”

Few in NFL history have gotten to the quarterback as well as Watt, who played in the league from 2011-22, and will be a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028. During his four-year run from 2012-15, he had seasons of 20.5, 10.5, 20.5 and 17.5 sacks and seasons of 43, 46, 50 and 51 quarterback hits.

“I learned a lot from him, so any time I can be in the same sentence with him and do something where you are the only two people to do it, it means a lot,’’ Allen said of joining Watt in the quarterback hits record book.

Allen considers Watt a mentor. But that doesn’t mean he can’t have some fun with him.

Webster selling restaurants

Former Broncos defensive back Kayvon Webster is pulling out of the restaurant-ownership business.

Webster had owned two locations of Smith & Webster Restaurant and Bar in South Florida, which he said specialized in “American cuisine with a Southern Influence.” But in October, he sold a Miami location he had opened in 2022. And his Coral Springs location that opened in 2023 closed last month and is on the market.

Webster will remain in the food industry as a restaurant consultant. That includes owning Business Growth Advisories, a company that deals with restaurants and residences in refrigeration, ventilation and air conditioning issues.

“In life, you’re supposed to keep growing and I’m just growing,’’ said Webster, who played in the NFL from 2013-19, including 2013-16 with the Broncos. “I went to the NFL and reached the highest of heights and then I jumped into the food and beverage industry. I’m just calling it a pause right now. I have been on the run since being out of the NFL.”

His former Miami property is now called Uncut Miami and is a bar and restaurant and the Coral Springs restaurant might have new owners that turn it into a pizza establishment. But Webster will retain ownership of the Smith & Webster name and doesn’t rule out the possibility of one day starting up another one.

What I’m hearing

—While the Broncos were helped by going against inexperienced, third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun, cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian still was pleased with how the Broncos bounced back on defense in Thursday’s 20-13 win at Kansas City. After allowing an average of 25.8 yards and 339 yards in the previous four games, Denver gave up about half that many points and 200 fewer yards at 139.

“We came out and played a good game and the offense did a good job, so we didn’t have many plays (on defense),’’ McMillian said of the Broncos running 72 plays and the Chiefs just 43. “It was quick game but we did what we had to do.”

—Broncos undrafted rookie linebacker Karene Reid is used to having his name mispronounced. “All the time,’’ he said. “My feelings are I’m good.” The correct pronunciation is kah-REH-nay, and he said his teammates mostly have gotten that down. “Or they use ‘Rene’ for short,’’ Reid said. “Reid, the last name, is fine, too.” Reid played in the first 10 games this season before going on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He said he’s now fully healthy and would be ready if brought back this season to the 53-man roster.

What I’m seeing

—Phillip Lindsay said earlier this year he is the answer to a trivia question, and that won’t change. Lindsay is the last Broncos running back to have gained 1,000 yards in a season, doing it with 1,011 in 2019. He also reached the milestone with 1,037 yards as a rookie in 2018. J.K. Dobbins looked well on his way to 1,000 with 772 yards in the first 10 games before he was lost with a foot injury. Next on Denver’s rushing list is rookie RJ Harvey with 512 yards. The Broncos entered the season with the fourth-longest drought of not having a 1,000-yard runner behind the New York Jets (2015), Kansas City (2017) and New Orleans (2017). They would move up to third if Jets running back Breece Hall, who has 954 yards, gets 46 in their final two games.

—Broncos quarterback Bo Nix is tied for the NFL lead with Dak Prescott of Dallas with 589 pass attempts. Both teams have one game left and no other quarterback has more than 539 throws entering Sunday’s games. Nix could become the first Denver quarterback to lead in that category since Peyton Manning had 659 attempts in 2013. That was the last time a Broncos quarterback had 600 or more in a season.