Broncos Individual Player Grades For Week 1 vs. Titans Revealed
In what ended up being a tough loss, the Denver Broncos had a late 14-13 lead on the Tennessee Titans only to drop it and fall 16-14. There has been much ridicule of Vic Fangio for poor clock management to end the game as Denver allowed 72 seconds to run off the clock in the final two minutes while up by only one point.
Fangio's hoped the Titans would give up the game, rather than trying to win it in the clutch. We've already analyzed the clock-management coaching snafus. Now it's time to focus on the individual players and that means my game grades are officially back but this time, they're better than ever.
I created this grading system years ago. I refine and hone it each year to improve it and make it as accurate as possible, to really drill down and reveal exactly how an individual played. One big change with the grading system this year is how I calculate a player’s game awareness and sense.
For example, with less than two minutes to go, the Broncos gang-tackled Derrick Henry and pushed him out of bounds to stop the clock. Not only do those players get rewarded for the tackle, but they also earn a bonus mark for making a heads-up play.
What hasn't changed is the base of the grading system. Each player starts with a grade of 50, and the grade will either get raised or lowered based on each snap, and the player's impact on the play.
A cornerback on the backside of a run who sheds a block will get a slight raise to their grade, but a corner shedding a block in the run path to make the stop at the point of attack will get a higher mark in their grade, as they had a bigger impact on the result of the play.
Plays that trigger a penalty do not count in the grading system. Only plays that actually count on the stat sheet and in the game log get included, though the penalized player does get hit for the penalty.
With that being said, it's time to get to the grades and like last year, I'll reveal four positively-graded players, four negatively-graded, and four noteworthy others. As for who earned MVP honors for the game and why, check out the video above.
The Good
Noah Fant | TE: 87.4
It was a strong first half from Fant, which carries his grade. There were some bright moments as a blocker, but also some hiccups that dredge up the issues he's had dating back to college. There is also the issue of Fant going missing in the second half, but in this case, it wasn't his fault. Denver just started going away from Fant and focused on other weapons. Fant still created mismatches, though, and found himself with separation on multiple occasions. If he can stay sustain himself as one of the main weapons for an entire 60 minutes, he could have a huge year. He was the second-best player on offense on Monday night
Mike Purcell | NT: 81.7
The Broncos put a lot of responsibility on the big nose tackle to help stop Henry. He was the best nose tackle in the NFL last year against the run, so expectations were high. Purcell managed to answer the call and played a really good game inside. Henry and the Titans struggled between the tackles mostly because of what Purcell brought as a run defender. When Purcell came off the field, that's when the Titans had more success running the ball.
DaeSean Hamilton | WR: 77.6
Only being targeted three times was a shame as Hamilton found himself open on about 10 different plays, most of which the Broncos failed to successfully execute. For whatever reason, Hamilton just got overlooked as a receiver. One target was a deep shot that the quarterback just overthrew. What really saw Hamilton kill it was his work as a blocker on the edge, which is something he has always done extremely.
Jeremiah Attaochu | OLB: 81.6
The veteran edge defender stepped in Von Miller's absence, and did so over Malik Reed, and his performance showed why the coaches favored him with playing time. Attaochu did extremely well against the run and setting the edge is something Reed really struggled to do. On top of strong run defense, Attaochu was consistent as a pass rusher and got the first sack of the season for the Broncos. Denver really needs him to keep it going with Miller out. Attaochu found himself just behind Purcell for the best defender and just ahead of Jurrell Casey (80.9) for the second-best defender.
The Bad
Jerry Jeudy | WR: 44.1
Two drops in key moments killed Jeudy's grade. While he did make a couple of good plays, he needs to make those two catches. Period. The timing of the drops was the worst part as they both came in key situations. Jeudy's drops were a concern in college, where he had an 8.3 drop rate, and dropping two of his eight targets is frankly terrible. His route running was as-advertised and elite already for the NFL, but if he is going to drop half as many balls as he caught, his route running prowess becomes moot. Fortunately, he did make a couple of big plays to save his grade and his NFL debut from being terrible.
Justin Simmons | S: 24.3
The star safety playing on the franchise tag had a terrible start to his season. Simmons' performance was one of a replacement safety, not at all up to the level we have come to expect from him. He was out of position consistently and wasn't reading the quarterback like normal. It could have been a case where the coaches changed his role for the game because of Henry, but whatever it was, it was a game that showed not extending him was the right choice. Simmons has to bounce back from it. He was the worst-graded player for the Broncos.
Dalton Risner | LG: 38.9
After a promising rookie season, Risner really was taken to school by the Titans' defensive line. His struggle with Jadeveon Clowney and Jeffery Simmons was expected, but they both really beat upon him. Adding to it was DaQuan Jones, who kept Risner right on the line consistently on running plays. He was a mess out there and this is one game that Risner probably wants back. The bad news is, he faces an even tougher matchup next week against the Pittsburgh Steelers' D-line.
Bradley Chubb | OLB: 32.5
While returning from a bad injury, it is no surprise that Chubb struggled, but how badly he struggled was. He was overaggressive as a run defender, and while he got pressure early in the game as a pass rusher, he soon faltered. On one play, Chubb would've had the sack if he just dove for the quarterback, but he didn't. The player that Chubb was out there was not one that looked like he was a former No. 5 overall draft pick.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Drew Lock | QB: 69.2
The young gun had some high highs and low lows. There were multiple occasions he seemed jumpy in the pocket, escaping early, only to have pressure arrive. He missed open receivers on key plays, including two that would've resulted in a touchdown, and just could not connect on the deep throws. Despite all that, Lock had flashes of brilliance and without his top receiver Courtland Sutton. Lock made some quick reads and good throws to get the ball out and move the chains, but those few missed throws hurt his team and his grade. Having three good passes dropped also didn't help. Lock's best play came on the touchdown pass to Fant where he dictated where Fant needed to go and threw a strike across his body, on the move.
Josey Jewell | LB: 71.2
Man, talk about some big hits on Henry. Jewell had some big tackles for a loss on the giant running back which really fired up the defense when it came to stopping the run. However, Jewell seemed willing to sell out to stop Henry and the Titans made the Broncos pay with the play-action passing game. Jewell still bites on every play-action, leaving the area behind him wide open. When he was asked to cover on plays with no play-action, he did well, though. Jewell is stepping into that Todd Davis role, which is a much better fit for him than the role he had last year when he started the first four games.
Melvin Gordon | RB: 63.7
It wasn't the prettiest debut from Gordon in a game where he had a fumble that led to seven points for the Titans. There were also a couple of cases of Gordon trying to find the big run going east/west when he just needed to go forward and pick up the yards that were there. Denver had to rely on Gordon a bit more than desired after Phillip Lindsay left the game with an injury, but Gordon did decent enough to close out the game. When he did just go north/south and didn't dance around too much, he picked up decent yards and made some plays. Obviously, the fumble was just a killer for his grade and the team.
Dre'Mont Jones | DL: 69.8
The second-year defensive lineman had a costly penalty that gave the Titans a first down on third down, which led to a score. That was the biggest negative against Jones but he did have a few 'you need to do better' moments. On the good side of things, Jones did well in getting pressure, including a crushing hit on Ryan Tannehill as he got the ball out. Jones really gave Titans' right guard Nate Davis problems as a pass rusher. Jones still needs to get a little stronger at the point of attack when inside and get off blocks quicker when he's more on the outside.
Before clicking on to the next article, be sure to check out the video above for the Broncos' MVP of the game.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
