Broncos' Biggest Studs & Duds in Upset Win Over Bills
It's a tough task to waltz into Buffalo and beat the Bills, but the Denver Broncos did it, winning 24-22. Make no mistake, the Bills practically handed the win to the Broncos on a silver platter.
Still, the Broncos did what they needed to do to win and created some of those mistakes, emerging victorious for the third game in a row and doing just enough to win on Monday Night Football.
So many Broncos made huge errors but also did just enough in the end for the win. Wil Lutz, Russell Wilson, and Courtland Sutton all could have ended up on the duds list, but they did enough to help their team win.
The Week 10 list is lopsided heavily on the studs, but with this type of victory, they deserve some credit.
Stud: Marvin Mims, Jr. | WR/PR/KR
The offense was not working well, but the return game took up some of the slack because of Mims’ performance. He aided by gaining precious field position that the Broncos' offense desperately needed.
For the game, Mims had a kick return of 31 yards when it appeared he was going to be stopped inside the 15-yard line and two punt returns for 44 yards. Punt returns of 27 and 17 yards gave the Broncos a massive advantage in field position.
Stud: Patrick Surtain II | CB
Surtain won’t be talked about much this week because his night was very quiet. Quiet in a good way.
Surtian's stat line would indicate he sat out most of the game with two tackles, zero passes defensed, and zero interceptions. That's what that box score will say.
However, Josh Allen rarely tested Surtain as he was shutting down his receiver assignment. Surtain gave up a single completion for a short gain. It was a very good night for him, even if it wasn’t flashy.
Dud: Damarri Mathis | CB
Of the players who were expected to play well this season but regressed badly, Mathis has to be at the top of the list. He played so well down the stretch as a rookie, but he's been a liability in coverage far too often in his sophomore season.
Mathis gave up a third-and-long completion early in the game and had little impact. He had a single tackle for his stat line, and his coverage was subpar far too often.
Stud: Quinn Meinerz | OG
Another player with a quiet but good performance. Meinerz has been one of the better guards in the NFL this season, and when the rest of his O-line mates were committing mistake after mistake, he remained solid and steady.
As the game wore on, Meinerz began opening bug holes for Javonte Williams even though the Bills knew a run was coming. Almost the entire Broncos' offensive line was flagged for penalties, but Meinerz committed zero errors and continued to play with aggression.
Dud: Riley Dixon | P
Dixon's net punting average was a lowly 37.4 yards, but that wasn't the worst thing. As the Broncos' placeholder, he dropped a good Mitchell Fraboni snap on an extra-point attempt in the second half, which came back to haunt the Broncos when the Bills took a one-point lead with under two minutes to go.
Thankfully, Wilson and company answered on Denver's final possession, with Lutz nailing the game-winning field goal on a solid Dixon hold.
Stud: Ja’Quan McMillian | CB
Getting the defense started off right, McMillian stripped the ball on the Bills' first play of the game. It set the tone for a solid defensive performance against one of the better offenses in the league.
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