Broncos Player Grades for Week 13's Loss to Ravens
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Nothing is left to say about the NFL world's best comedy: Denver Broncos football. The Broncos have managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory multiple times this season, including in Baltimore.
Denver's coaching is mostly wrong, and player execution is somehow worse. The Broncos had a 9-3 lead with five minutes left against a much tougher Baltimore Ravens playing their backup quarterback and lost 10-3.
Let's jump into the grades, but first, for a quick rundown of how my grading system works, click here.
MVP(s)
Offense: Greg Dulcich | TE | Grade: 74.1
Dulcich had an excellent bounce-back game. He was hard for the Ravens' defense to keep covered, catching six of seven targets. Dulcich did enough work as a receiver to make up for some issues as a blocker.
Defense: Alex Singleton | LB | Grade: 78.2
Singleton has recently stepped up after a rough showing earlier in the season with back-to-back MVPs. He shows excellent ability to read and flow with the run and meets at the point of contact with force to stop the running back. One big key for his turnaround is cutting back on the missed tackles, with only two in the last four games.
Quarterback
Russell Wilson | QB | Grade: 65.5
While the performance from Wilson wasn't what you pay $250 million for, it was a solid showing. He often took what the defense was giving him and wasn't trying to force it. That said, there were still self-brought pressures, missed open receivers, and poorly placed throws that have been problematic all season.
Wilson had a solid game, his second-highest grade of the season. But unfortunately, the statistics won't match because of how the offensive calls played out.
The Positive
Justin Simmons | S | Grade: 72.4
With two interceptions, Simmons made a couple of big plays to give the ball back to the offense, which they did nothing with. Nevertheless, it was a great game from Simmons, and only a few run-game mishaps kept him from being the MVP.
DeShawn Williams | IDL | Grade: 72.1
Williams had his best game this season statistically, with his second-highest-graded game. He picked up two sacks and was stout against the run but did nothing as a pass rusher on his other 25 pass rush snaps.
Josey Jewell | LB | Grade: 71.5
The Broncos linebacker duo has become a good one, though they don't get much attention. Jewell does well in coverage consistently, and when those shallow catches are received, he is quick to come up and make the tackle. His play against the run is strong, but he missed a few critical tackles against Baltimore.
Cameron Fleming | OT | Grade: 67.9
Fleming played a clean game in pass protection, not allowing a single pressure, though the whole line allowed three total. Fleming did a tremendous job in the run game opening up lanes, but others failed, which kept the running backs in check most of the time.
Jerry Jeudy | WR | Grade: 63.3
It was apparent Jeudy wasn't 100%, but he still had a strong game. His routes were still high quality, and he did a good job creating separation, including on his big 40-yard reception. He caught all four targets for 65 total yards.
Calvin Anderson | OT | Grade: 59.2
While Anderson did allow one of the three pressures, he did an excellent job in the run game. It was his best game on the season as a run blocker, with clean technique consistently.
The Negative
Brandon Johnson | WR | Grade: 37.6
Johnson did not play well. After a few questionable efforts and plays in Carolina, Johnson had more against Baltimore. On top of that, he felt off with what he was doing compared to the rest of the offense. Almost like he didn't fully know the plays.
Kareem Jackson | S | Grade: 40.7
Jackson had a good game a week ago, but he was practically missing in action against Baltimore. It is past time the Broncos take away his playing time and start giving it to P.J. Locke to see what he can do.
Dalton Risner | IOL | Grade: 40.7
The Ravens won the battle on the interior and gave all three of the Broncos interior offensive linemen issues. There were multiple runs where the rest of the offensive line was at least holding the line of scrimmage while Risner was two yards in the backfield. Denver hasn't offered Risner a contract extension, possibly due to how he has played this season.
Graham Glasgow | IOL | Grade: 41.2
Glasgow had his worst game since taking over as the starting center. However, the Ravens have a couple of talented interior defensive linemen who worked over Glasgow consistently.
Dre'Mont Jones | IDL | Grade: 43.5
Like the following player, Jones did well as a pass rusher, but playing as a run defender was problematic. The Ravens' physical offensive line gave him consistent problems holding his own against the run.
Baron Browning | OLB | Grade: 45.8
Browning did well as a pass rusher, but his play as a run defender needs work. It has been a consistent area needing improvement for Browning, who usually gets too far upfield against the run.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Damarri Mathis | CB | Grade: 70.2
Mathis did exceptionally well as a run defender and did alright in coverage. However, he did allow all five catches for a total of 31 yards, eight of which came after the grab, showing how quick he was to come up and make the tackle.
D.J. Jones | IDL | Grade: 67.8
Jones was a force in the middle of the Broncos' defense, and his playing helped the Broncos' linebackers do work.
Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 61.3
It was a solid game from Surtain after a couple of rough outings. He had some good plays in coverage, but his physicality issues were apparent. After meeting the receiver short of the sticks, the receiver managed to fight through Surtain for the first down. He has to be consistently physical in all phases.
Quinn Meinerz | IOL | Grade: 55.4
Meinerz played well in pass protection but was an issue in the run game. That is his strong suit, and Baltimore was giving him problems consistently.
Courtland Sutton | WR | Grade: 53.5
Sutton was playing well before he hurt his hamstring. He found himself open a few times, didn't get looked at, and gave great effort as a blocker.
Latavius Murray | RB | Grade: 51.0
Murray had 17 rushes for 47 yards, with 37 coming after contact. He did alright with what he had to work with, but when you average 0.6 yards before contact, there isn't much you can do.
Coaches
Nathaniel Hackett | HC | Grade: 57.2
With what little Hackett does, he didn't do a bad job against the Ravens. However, when he was shown on the sidelines, it appears he knows that his time as the Broncos' head coach is coming to an end. This was the second-best grade for Hackett this season, which needs to be better for the head coach.
Klint Kubiak | QB Coach/Play-caller | 39.5
Kubiak played it safe with the play-calling with short and straight-forward passing concepts focused on getting the ball out quickly. That is fine, but it hurt the offense as the Broncos couldn't find the big plays when they needed them. It was a game where Kubiak played it too safely throughout.
Ejiro Evero | DC | Grade: 67.9
Evero has been a good coach this season, and his unit isn't getting much help, but they have to figure out how to close out games with a lead. While this loss isn't on the defense, his unit allowed a 16-play, 91-yard touchdown drive in the game's final five minutes.
Dwayne Stukes | STC | Grade: 37.7
Stukes' special teams should be thankful the offense gets so much attention. The special teams would be ripped on how terrible they are if they didn't. The Broncos are the worst special teams unit in the NFL, and everything is failing consistently. The two big moves from Stukes were drafting Montrell Washington and going with Corliss Waitman as punter, and both have been failures this season.
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