Broncos Player Grades from Wild Comeback Win Over Colts

How did the individual Denver Broncos grade out vs. the Indianapolis Colts?

Dec 15, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) celebrates with quarterback Bo Nix (10) after a touchdown ahead of wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey (84) in the fourth quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

It was a rough start for the Denver Broncos vs. the Indianapolis Colts. The Broncos couldn’t get things going in the first half on either side of the ball, even though they entered the second half down 13-7.

One of the Broncos' most significant issues defensively was the inability to get off the field on third down, especially the Colts' first two drives that saw two 3rd-&-10s get converted, one of which was on a hand-off. After the Broncos defense allowed 10 points off the first two drives, it allowed three points on the other four first-half Colts drives, intercepted a pass to end another, and forced two punts. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos offense had four drives end with a punt, not counting the kneel-down before the half, with one ending with an interception. That touchdown drive's most significant play was a defensive pass interference called on the Colts, setting the Broncos up in a prime position.

The Broncos offense was much the same in the second half with eight drives, two of which ended in a touchdown, two in an interception, one in a punt, and the other a field goal. This doesn’t count the closing drive that had two of the three plays being kneel-downs.

This was a poor showing by a Broncos team that was carried to victory by a few players instead of everyone making key contributions to the victory. There are a lot of bad grades, especially on offense, and few good grades from this performance. 

Quarterback

• Bo Nix | Grade: 43.8

It was a weird stat line for Nix, with three touchdowns, three interceptions, and 153 total yards (130 passing and 23 rushing). After watching some good games from him in previous weeks, this performance was like his first two starts.

Nix's techniques and mechanics were practically non-existent, with him seeing ghosts and feeling phantom pressure in the pocket for most of the first half. His throws were consistently late and off-target, with most of them putting the receiver in a bad spot to make the catch. Maybe the bye week took him out of his groove, but whatever the case, the Broncos need him to return to form with the team in position to clinch a playoff spot. 

Running Back

• Javonte Williams | Grade: 38.1

Williams had eight touches for 23 yards while being the only running back to play more than 20 snaps. This season has been terrible for him, with only four games over a 4.0 average per carry and as many games under a 2.0 average.

It isn’t ideal to have your top back seeing the field only because of what he offers in pass protection, but Williams didn’t do well against the Colts. 

Wide Receivers

• Courtland Sutton | Grade: 57.7
• Devaughn Vele | Grade: 53.8
• Troy Franklin | Grade: 48.6
• Lil’Jordan Humphrey | Grade: 43.3

Even with another drop on the season, Sutton was the top Broncos receiver. He caught three passes on nine targets, and two of Nix's three interceptions came throwing Sutton's way. Neither of them were on Sutton.

Vele did well as a blocker but had no catches on a single target. Humphrey was the target on the third interception and continues to play like he should be benched. Franklin did alright as a blocker but little with the ball, which shows how bad of a day Nix had as a passer.

Tight Ends

• Nate Adkins | Grade: 75.3
• Adam Trautman | Grade: 66.4
• Lucas Krull | Grade: 46.5

It was a solid day for the Broncos trio at tight end. Adkins made a good play for a touchdown and had a solid blocking day. Trautman had a good day in both phases, while Krull remained an issue as a blocker.

Offensive Tackles

• Garett Bolles | Grade: 72.8
• Mike McGlinchey | Grade: 71.6

Both tackles had a good day as pass protectors and run blockers. While things weren’t perfect, this was one of the duo's best games since becoming Denver's starting tackles before the 2023 season. Bolles showed right away that extending him was the right move. 

Interior O-Line

• Quinn Meinerz | Grade: 73.8
• Ben Powers | Grade: 73.4
• Luke Wattenberg | Grade: 40.1

Powers and Meinerz had a great game and did well in both phases, with the latter continuing to be one of the best guards in the NFL. While the Broncos could keep their O-line intact for Nix next year, they shouldn’t avoid trying to upgrade the center.

Wattenberg has mostly been good enough to get by, but he has not been a good center this season, and this was one of his worst games. 

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Defensive Line

• Malcolm Roach | Grade: 74.1
• D.J. Jones | Grade: 71.8
• John Franklin-Myers | Grade: 70.7
• Zach Allen | Grade: 58.3
• Jordan Jackson | Grade: 52.5

The defensive line had a solid day overall, with Franklin-Myers continuing to be great down the stretch. Teams have limited Allen's impact, but he still made some big plays against the Colts. Roach and Jones had outstanding days; even Jackson was fine in his playtime. 

Outside Linebackers

• Nik Bonitto | Grade: 84.8
• Jonathon Cooper | Grade: 75.9
• Dondrea Tillman | Grade: 58.9
• Jonah Elliss | Grade: 45.2

It's time to start talking about Bonitto in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Cooper had a good game, and Tillman a solid one. Elliss, on the other hand, had a hot start to the season but has had a lot of ‘rookie’ type games lately, including against the Colts. 

Linebackers

• Justin Strnad | Grade: 68.6
• Cody Barton | Grade: 46.6

Barton has had some hits in coverage, but he has also had issues, and even more came against the run. His splash plays have covered these previous issues, but he was bad against the Colts. Strnad continues to play at a solid or better level as he replaces Alex Singleton. 

Cornerbacks

• Kris Abrams-Draine | Grade: 71.9
• Patrick Surtain II | Grade: 67.7
• Damarri Mathis | Grade:57.2
• Ja’Quan McMillian | Grade: 51.8

Surtain was lockdown as usual, with Abrams-Draine also stepping up in a big way in his first significant action of the season as he replaced Levi Wallace, who replaced Riley Moss. McMillian had some issues to start the game, giving up some big catches, with one where he did have good positioning in coverage. Mathis was okay with how the Broncos used him, including stepping in when Surtain got hurt. 

Safeties

• Brandon Jones | Grade: 74.8
• P.J. Locke | Grade: 69.1

Both safeties had an excellent game for the Broncos and continue to be vital for how the defense goes. There were plays they had poor contain against the run, were late to come downhill, or took poor angles, but those came mostly in the first half. In coverage, Jones and Locke played a clean game from start to finish. 

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