Broncos Player Grades from 28-14 Win Over Panthers

How did the individual Denver Broncos grade out vs. the Carolina Panthers.

Oct 27, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) celebrates his interception with cornerback Riley Moss (21) and linebacker Kwon Alexander (12) and safety Devon Key (26) in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos were expected to win this game, and they did handily by a final score of 28-14. While the Broncos looked like a competent football team, the Carlina Panthers were the definition of incompetent.

Multiple times, the Panthers could not perform the basic components of being an NFL offense. Hopefully, the Broncos built confidence from this game because their schedule gets a lot tougher, as head coach Sean Paton said afterward.

“That’s not a good offense we played," Payton said. "It’s just the truth. We expected that. We’re going to see a lot better teams.”

How did the Broncos grade out? Let’s get into the individual player grades. 

Quarterback

• Bo Nix | Grade: 78.9

This was Nix's best game all season. His footwork looked improved, like what it was in college, and his pass placement was far more consistent. While there were some missed throws, most of them came at the fault of the receivers, more than Nix. 

Running Backs 

• Jaleel McLaughlin | Grade: 58.4

• Javonte Williams | Grade: 52.6

McLaughlin played decently and looked close to what he was able to do last year. However, the Panthers were a lousy run defense, and they managed to limit and shut down Williams, who was only saved by his contribution in the passing game. 

Wide Receivers

• Courtland Sutton | Grade: 67.8

• Devaughn Vele | Grade: 57.8

• Lil’Jordan Humphrey | Grade: 46.7

• Marvin Mims Jr. | Grade: 45.2

• Troy Franklin | Grade: 38.7

This was a great game from Sutton until a late fumble near the goal-line. He showed why he is still a more than capable receiver who can make plays for the offense.

Vele continues to flash some playmaking potential, though consistency needs to be improved. Humphrey, Mims, and Franklin all had critical mistakes.

Franklin can’t afford to miss on those deep shots as he did vs. the Panthers, especially being late to attempt making the catch. None of the receivers, outside of Sutton, did a decent job when tasked as a blocker. 

Tight Ends

• Adam Trautman | Grade: 68.5

• Nate Adkins | Grade: 53.6

• Lucas Krull | Grade: 43.4

Trautman had the best game of his career, making one big play after another. He did alright as a blocker but excelled as a receiver.

Can you bet on games like this more consistently? No, and Week 8 it shouldn’t keep the Broncos from adding to the tight end room.

Adkins did well as a blocker and what was asked as a receiver. As for Krull, it is easy to get hyped about the one or two receiving plays he makes in a game, but his blocking makes it hard to keep him on the field.

Offensive Tackles

• Mike McGlinchey | Grade: 74.1

• Garett Bolles | Grade: 73.2

Both tackles played a strong game. Bolles and McGlinchey allowed zero pressure on Nix and did well in the run game. The issues on the ground aren’t because of either — outside of one, maybe two plays each. 

Interior O-Line

• Quinn Meinerz | Grade: 75.3

• Alex Forsyth | Grade: 68.6

• Ben Powers | Grade: 54.3

There is a conversation to have about Forsyth remaining the starter when Luke Wattenberg is eligible to come off injured reserve. Meinerz remains a force on the interior, while Powers had a rougher time, though a few of the bad plays on him aren’t exactly his fault due to the play-call and what he was being asked to do. 

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Defensive Line

• John Franklin-Myers | Grade: 79.2

• Zach Allen | Grade: 74.2

• Malcolm Roach | Grade: 65.7

• D.J. Jones | Grade: 63.8

Franklin-Myers had an outstanding game, creating serious issues for the Panthers' offensive line. Allen was also a force to be reckoned with, as he has been all season.

Roach and Jones had some issues, but they were more than solid in the middle of the line. 

Outside Linebackers

• Nik Bonitto | Grade: 70.1

• Baron Browning | Grade:  65.5

• Jonah Elliss | Grade: 64.3

• Jonathon Cooper | Grade: 60.2

Bonitto's sack gave him six in the last six games. He has improved tremendously as a pass rusher.

Even if Bonitto doesn’t generate pressure, he's starting to draw flags. All of the Broncos' pass rushers had a good game, and while they each had some bad plays, they were few. 

Cornerbacks

• Patrick Surtain II |  Grade: 63.2

• Ja’Quan McMillian | Grade: 61.8

• Riley Moss | Grade: 58.2

Surtain and McMillian both made great plays for interceptions. McMillian made an exceptional play to turn and make a play on the ball.

The Panthers targeted Moss in coverage and succeeded, as he gave up most of his yards in coverage and his second touchdown of the season. 

Safeties

• Brandon Jones | Grade: 64.3

• Devon Key | Grade: 58.7

With P.J. Locke out, Key had to step in, and he had a solid game. There were some lapses in coverage and when triggering downhill against the run, but he was more than serviceable when filling in.

Jones continues to have a strong season for the Broncos. 

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