Broncos Player Grades for Week 18 Win Over Chargers

Here's how the Denver Broncos graded out at the individual level in Week 18.

By winning their season finale over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Denver Broncos brought their season record to 5-12. Of course, a win is a win, but the first half was replete with a lot of the same play from the Broncos that was seen for most of the season. 

Things changed in the second half, and the Broncos hit one big play after another, leading to their highest-scoring total on the season. Many players had their best game of the season in the finale. 

Let's jump into the grades, but first, if you want a quick rundown of how our grading system works, click here.

MVP(s)

Offense: Jerry Jeudy | WR | Grade: 84.6

For a while, the passing offense was strictly Jerry Jeudy, who had an excellent game against the Chargers. Over the last half of the season, Jeudy came along, showing how dangerous of a receiver he can be. 

Defense: Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 84.2

Outside of a couple of games, Surtain was excellent all season long. He bounced back tremendously from those rough games. Against the Chargers, the concerns about his physicality against the run and even as a tackler were not as prominent. 

Quarterback

Russell Wilson | QB | Grade: 66.7

It was a solid game from Wilson, but it will get hyped up more for having three passes go for 159 yards and another long touchdown that came from a broken coverage. The fact is, Denver didn't trust him early in the game, running it on multiple third-and-longs and scoring 10 early points with a run-heavy attack. 

With 20 seconds left in the first half, Wilson had 26 yards rushing and passing. That run-heavy offense set up the second half by forcing the Chargers to change their coverage, and Wilson made some tremendous throws to exploit it. 

A solid game that shows how you try and keep Wilson going as the team moves forward, but relying on 6.7 yards-per-carry and three 40+ passing plays aren't the way to sustain success. 

The Positive

Graham Glasgow | IOL | Grade: 78.7

This was by far the best game from Glasgow on the season. He allowed one pressure and did an excellent job as a run blocker in the middle. 

Ja'Quan McMillian | CB | Grade: 74.3

Getting the start was tough for someone who spent the season on the practice squad. He did a great job, though he gave up a couple of bad plays. McMillian is a smaller corner, and he played well on the boundary. It was a small sample size, but there was some promise shown. 

Justin Simmons | S | Grade: 71.2

Simmons was up and down this season, but he had a hand in 10 total turnovers for the Broncos' defense, including forcing two fumbles against the Chargers in Week 18. He played a clean game in coverage and did exceptionally well coming downhill in his run fits. 

Alex Singleton | ILB | Grade: 71.2

Singleton was an excellent pickup for the Broncos. He has flown around the field with a nose for the ball, especially against the run. There were issues in coverage, including against the Chargers, but he wasn't a complete liability. 

Latavius Murray | RB | Grade: 69.8

Murry looked the best he did all season, showing a good burst. He doesn't have great long speed, but he could hit the holes that were opened up with burst. That led to multiple chunk runs. 

Quinn Meinerz | IOL | Grade: 65.5

Meinerz was a bully in the trenches and showed his capability as a run blocker, especially after having multiple down weeks. There is still work to do as a pass blocker, but Denver needs his run-blocking prowess. 

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The Negative

Albert Okwuegbunam | TE | Grade: 37.4

After a solid game, Okwuegbunam showed why he is so hard to trust. His blocking is a liability for the Broncos. On top of that, he was targeted only once, which was too high for him to bring in. 

Eric Saubert | TE | Grade: 38.1

Saubert was mainly used as a blocker and didn't do a good job at it. Unfortunately, there also wasn't a chance for him to make up for it as a receiver, as he was never even targeted. 

Jonathan Harris | IDL | Grade: 41.8

Harris was a starter on the defense, and he picked up nothing. The Chargers attacked him in the run game, and others, fortunately, covered him. Harris was just there with no tackles, pressures, or any stat picked up. 

Andrew Beck | FB | Grade: 42.7

Beck did a terrible job as a blocker and was targeted twice, coming down with zero catches. If Denver is going to use a fullback next year, it's time to upgrade the position. 

DeShawn Williams | IDL | Grade: 43.7

The only difference between Harris and Williams was that the latter picked up one pressure. But, unfortunately, that was all he did, and Williams' struggles against the run that have persisted most of the season were again on display. 

Essang Bassey | CB | Grade: 49.7

Bassey was picked on, allowing 5-of-8 targets to be caught. It was a poor performance, with a missed tackle and struggles against the run. 

Other Noteworthy Grades

Eyioma Uwazurike | IDL | Grade: 69.9

Uwazurike got a chance to show his growth over the past few weeks, and he did just that. He did well against the run of the Chargers and showed his motor chasing a play down from behind to make the tackle. He added two pressures and three stops to the Broncos' box score. 

Eric Tomlinson | TE | Grade: 65.2

Tomlinson killed it as a blocker and added another touchdown catch to bring his career total to three. 

Baron Browning | OLB | Grade: 64.5

Browning picked up three pressures and a sack, but what stood out with his game was his improvements to his run game. He wasn't getting too far upfield and instead stayed disciplined to avoid leaving a hole open behind him. 

Quinn Bailey | IOL | Grade: 57.8

Bailey had his issues, with three pressures in pass protection allowed, but he was integral to the run game's success. There were multiple runs where Bailey made key blocks for the running backs to make chunk plays. 

Nik Bonitto | OLB | Grade: 57.6

Bonitto picked up one pressure on 17 pass rush snaps. His play against the run continued to be an issue. Denver will need him to step up drastically for next season. 

Cameron Fleming | OT | Grade: 47.6

Fleming struggled as a run blocker while allowing a single pressure in pass protection. However, with what he has shown this season, Denver should consider re-signing him. 

Coaches

Jerry Rosburg | Interim HC/STC | Grade: 74.3

The team fought hard after Rosburg took over, and they consistently looked well-prepared compared to before he was made the interim coach. If it weren't for multiple issues with special teams, which Rosburg is overseeing, then his grade would have been significantly higher. 

Justin Outten | OC | 76.2

The first half offensively was a lot of the same stuff, especially in the passing game. However, the Broncos got the run game going and relied on that throughout, picking up 187 yards on 28 carries for an average of 6.7 yards per carry, minus the quarterback runs. Denver used the run game to dictate coverage and exploited it with some big plays in the second half. 

Ejiro Evero | DC | Grade: 61.3

The Broncos forced a few turnovers and did a solid job against the Chargers. His defense had some holes exposed, but they did enough overall. 

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