Broncos Individual Player Grades For Week 2 vs. Steelers Revealed
It was a straining loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers as the Denver Broncos walked out battered and bruised with multiple costly injuries. The season forecast has become even more gloomy with the loss of Courtland Sutton for the season and Drew Lock for 2-6 weeks, and this is a team that has the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coming up next.
As for the game against the Steelers, I, unfortunately, have the task of giving out my grades. With everything that happened, it was hard to do. Losing their starting quarterback and top receiver made this tough task even harder, yet the job had to be done.
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
Garett Bolles | LT: 86.7
This marked back-to-back weeks of strong play from the Broncos' left tackle. Bolles did get called for a holding penalty as a run blocker, which is what kept him from being back-to-back MVP. As a pass blocker, he was excellent and one play that reflects badly on him wasn't even his fault entirely.
It was the strip-sack where Lock got hurt. Bud Dupree started on Bolles but stunted inside which typically means the guard and tackle pass off their blocks, but that didn't happen. Bolles went to pass off his block, but the left guard didn't. This play was negative from Bolles but wasn't as much his fault as it was that of the guard.
Bolles is showing improvements and changes to his technique that better fit his style which is why his play has been so good and consistent against two tough matchups.
Mike Purcell | NT: 81.3
The whole defense was just average against the Steelers, with a few exceptions for both ways. Purcell was one of the positive exceptions. He did really well against the run and picked up the only sack of the game.
The play of the linebackers didn't help show how good of a game Purcell played as he held his blocks and opened up pathways to the ball carrier as a run defender.
Noah Fant | TE: 82.4
Fant and the Broncos need to figure out how to get consistent play from him. Against Tennessee, he disappeared in the second half where he struggled to get open and dealt with bracket coverage and Pittsburgh started the game that way for Fant.
Once the Steelers changed it up, Fant went off for a good day. All he has to do is figure out how to get open against bracket coverage and consistently impact the game for the full 60 minutes.
Bradley Chubb | OLB: 80.0
As a pass rusher, Chubb was just okay but what carries his grade was his play as a run defender. He did an excellent job of setting the edge and standing up the tackles, forcing the ball-carrier back inside. There needs to be more oomph as a pass rusher from Chubb, but for now, he gets a pass as he still works his way back from his injury last year.
The Bad
Elijah Wilkinson | RT: 17.2
At some point, the Broncos' coaching staff has to realize Wilkinson isn't a tackle, right? RIGHT?! For now, though, the coaches seem hellbent on playing him out of position with bad results. While his game against the Titans wasn't a complete mess, it was against the Steelers.
Pittsburgh knew how to exploit Wilkinson, which will make it clear for every other team that watches the tape as well, and executed. Wilkinson's technique was sloppy from his hands to his feet and while he did have a chance to be something at guard at one point, he may be broken beyond repair.
Michael Ojemudia | CB: 27.9
Three plays destroyed Ojemudia's grade, and that is a shame because the rest of his play was solid. He dropped an interception in the end zone, then followed that up with a missed tackle where the Steelers moved the chains on third down.
We saw consecutive high-impact negative plays from the rookie. The third play was an 80-plus yard touchdown he allowed where he just got beat. Yes, Chase Claypool pushed off slightly, but not enough to draw the flag. This was a game that Ojemudia needs to learn from and Tampa Bay is a big test to see if he can bounce back.
Lloyd Cushenberry | C: 25.1
The rookie was a mess and really showed his issues as a pass protector outside of double teams. Denver needs him to get better in his one-on-one work if he wants to be a long-term starter in the NFL.
There were some good plays as a run blocker, but there were others where he just got beat. It was a tough test and much like Ojemudia, Cushenberry needs to take this game and learn from it.
Shelby Harris | DL: 46.3
The defensive lineman was hit or miss each play as a run defender. Harris also got next to nothing as a pass rusher. There were a few defenders just above Harris as well and really shows how average the unit really was overall. Harris has shown more as a player before and hopefully, this was just an off game for the defensive lineman.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Dalton Risner | LG: 29.5
This is noteworthy because three Broncos' offensive linemen graded below 30, which is well below average. Risner failed to properly protect against Dupree's stunt rush by not passing off his defender, which led to Lock getting hurt. There were multiple other plays where Risner was beaten in pass protection. What kept him above Cushenberry was a few great run blocking plays from Risner.
Jeremiah Attaochu | OLB: 79.2
Much like Chubb, Attaochu had a strong game as a run defender primarily setting the edge and standing up the tackle. He also did a good job keeping the awareness up for screenplays. His pass rush wasn't there, but he did well enough in other areas to carry his grade.
Jeff Driskel | QB: 62.8
There was so much going against Driskel when he took over cold for an injured Lock. Driskel still made some big plays with limited reps with the first team — not to mention the amount of pressure he had to deal with from three of his linemen having a bad game.
It was admirable and Driskel led the offense to fight back to make it a closer game than it should've been. He is what he is, but with everything against him, he played admirably.
Jurrell Casey | DL: 79.3
The veteran had a couple of good rushes but did a good job as a run defender. There does need to be a balance and something done to help these pass rushers get more pressure and without hurting the Broncos' run defense. Once that happens, Denver can truly be a dangerous front led by Casey and Chubb.
For the MVP of this game, make sure you check out the video above.
