Broncos Individual Player Grades For Week 8 vs. Chargers Revealed
It was a tale of two halves for the Denver Broncos as the team closed a 21-point game to defeat the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 8. While Denver's defense played relatively well for the majority of the game, the offense failed to get going until the fourth quarter, but it was just enough for the win.
This was an interesting game to grade because of how different the Broncos were in that final quarter compared to the first three. Let's get to the noteworthy performances.
The Positive
Phillip Lindsay | RB: 83.1
Lindsay nearly earned MVP honors for his game against the Chiefs the week prior but didn't play enough snaps. For his game against the Chargers, Lindsay was critical to sparking the offense after his 55-yard touchdown run and finished with a whopping 13.8 yards-per-carry average.
DaeSean Hamilton | WR: 80.5
Hamilton made a huge 40-yard touchdown play as a receiver, but what kept his grade down were some issues as a run blocker. It was cleaner than it was in the last game, but his run blocking still has not been quite up to par.
Dre'Mont Jones | DL: 79.9
Denver's defensive line played a relatively strong game, and Jones led the way with some quick pressures up the middle. There were some issues of him getting blown off the ball against the run which is what kept his grade down some.
DeMarcus Walker | DL: 77.6
While Jones had a bigger impact as a pass rusher, Walker was better as a run defender. There were consistency issues, but it was strong overall.
The Negative
A.J. Bouye | CB: 29.7
Bouye was getting picked on and it wasn't necessarily because his coverage was bad. Sometimes the coverage was good but he could've been a lot better.
Melvin Gordon | RB: 31.2
Gordon was just largely ineffective until the Broncos' final drive. There was a big issue of him just trying to be too pretty instead of taking what was there.
Dalton Risner | LG: 34.3
Risner started off rough, getting some tossed around as a blocker. He eventually bounced back quite a bit, but still had some really ugly moments that show the need for him to return to consistency.
Michael Ojemudia | CB: 34.8
This was going to be a tough matchup for Ojemudia and it was made clear right away as to why. He just struggled to handle the route-running of the Chargers' receivers.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Justin Simmons | S: 68.5
If Denver wanted to trade Simmons, he had a great game to capitalize on selling high. His interception was a great play and he was quick to come downhill and plugged the right hole multiple times. Unfortunately, he wasn't right often enough and led to some big runs.
Garett Bolles | LT: 65.5
The three penalties need to be monitored going forward and hopefully, Bolles goes back to the form he played with in the previous six games. His blocking started off rough, but he eventually found his groove.
Bradley Chubb | OLB: 51.2
Chubb's inability to make a big impact, especially early, was part of what necessitated the comeback. He didn't rattle Justin Herbert and didn't force many mistakes.
Drew Lock | QB: 47.2
For three-quarters, Lock looked like he didn't belong out there on the field. In that final quarter, he looked like a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. He needs to play with more poise and stick to his fundamentals. Then he can be something.
For the MVP of the game, make sure you check out the video above.
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