Broncos Individual Player Grades For Week 10 at Raiders
This has been an extremely disappointing season for the Denver Broncos. Sitting at 3-6 after the team's loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, the Broncos are approaching the toughest stretch on their schedule.
In the final seven games, the Broncos face just two teams with a losing record that are a combined 5-14 this year, but in their other five games, the opponents are 34-12. With Denver's offense unable to be consistent, this is going to be a tough stretch for them.
That's a future concern. For now, we're still analyzing the Broncos' performance in Vegas and the aftermath.
Remember, despite it being a loss, the highest-graded player receives the MVP for the game so don't forget to check the video above to find out who got the nod and why.
The Positive
Alexander Johnson | ILB: 79.2
This was one of the better performances from Johnson, especially coming downhill. The issues in coverage still persisted, but with how limited he is as a mover in space, he probably won't ever be better than just below average in coverage. Johnson led the team with nine stops against the Raiders and his negative plays were more in coverage.
Garett Bolles | LT: 76.9
It has become a trend for Bolles to make the positive group each week, which is much better than last year. This wasn't as strong of a game as others, but he was still solid overall.
Bolles was stout in pass protection, but the issues arrived as a run blocker where Denver struggled running behind him. When he wasn't the lead guy, he did a good job of clearing out the lane, but the Raiders did a good job coming downhill to clog the lanes despite Bolles doing his job.
DeShawn Williams | DL: 75.8
Another game and another pretty impressive performance. Williams has looked like a capable backup defensive lineman out there with solid run defense and interior push. He shows the lack of consistency needed to be a starter, so while he's currently starting due to injuries, he has a future as a depth piece at least.
Dalton Risner | LG: 73.1
Risner allowed two pressures in pass protection, but he was only above average as a run blocker. Much like Bolles, Risner did his job but when there were three or four Raiders attacking the left side, there was only so much Risner and Bolles could do.
The Negative
Calvin Anderson | RT: 13.7
There was a lot of hope in Anderson starting the game in place of the injured Demar Dotson. Alas, Denver was credited with allowing 12 total pressures and Anderson relinquished five of them. For offensive linemen, there were nine pressures, which means he accounted for over 50% of the O-line's pressures.
It is worth noting that when teams bring more defenders than blockers and someone goes unblocked, no one gets credited for giving up the pressure. Pressures are counted against offensive players when they get beaten. So while Denver is credited with giving up 12 pressures, the Raiders got 22 total pressures, meaning 10 came on unblocked rushers.
Drew Lock | QB: 17.5
Four interceptions are going to land you here in the negatives. Lock accounted for 3-of-12 credited pressures the Raiders notched and one can argue that the 10 of them could count against the beleaguered QB by not making good pre-snap reads.
Each of Lock's four interceptions is largely on him either because of terrible footwork, bad decisions, or terrible ball placement. Lastly, Lock completed less than 50% of his passes and threw two of the four interceptions when he wasn't under pressure.
Bradley Chubb | OLB: 18.2
To beat the Raiders, you have to force Derek Carr to make mistakes. To do that, you have to get pressure. While Chubb led the team with two pressures, that simply isn't enough.
Chubb has struggled to be consistent all season long. However, one area where he has been consistent has been against the run, but in this game, he was consistently beaten.
Sylvester Williams | DL: 19.6
The Raiders were beating up on the Broncos' defensive line, but the unit was much worse when Williams was out there. He has been solid in the previous action, but in this game, he did more harm than good.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Josey Jewell | ILB: 75.3
Both linebackers were solid in the game, but they both had their fair share of hiccups. Jewell showed he struggled to be the linebacker to attack the hole and blockers. When he was allowed to chase and avoid blockers, he did well. It's very clear that these two linebackers are limited to their roles.
Dre'Mont Jones | DL: 70.4
Denver had chances to get interior pressure, but it failed, and that included Jones. He did have a great rush that led to a sack, only to have it taken away because of a penalty. What got him a high grade was some really solid run defense where he held position and kept things tight, mostly, on his side.
Lloyd Cushenberry | C: 65.7
While Cushenberry was credited with allowing only one pressure on the game, he struggled to drop his anchor consistently. It didn't lead to more pressures, but it is something that has to be fixed. As a run blocker, his lack of length is really showing up and he can't generate push and gives up positioning early.
Melvin Gordon | RB: 60.0
Gordon was the better runner out there in this game, but he did not have the best of days. With two drops as a receiver (his purported strong suit), the grade was affected. As just a ball-carrier, Gordon graded out just over 70 (70.3 to be exact).
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