Broncos Player Grades from 20-12 Win Over Titans

How did the individual Denver Broncos grade out in Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans?

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) sacks Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos got off to a hot start by winning their season-opener over the Tennessee Titans 20-12. It was far from perfect, but in the end, it doesn’t matter how a team wins, only that it does emerge victorious. 

It's good that the Broncos came out on top because there were a lot of ugly performances from multiple players, but some excellent play from others helped overcome those issues. With the Indianapolis Colts coming up next week, who are coming off a big win against the Miami Dolphins, there will be a lot for Sean Payton and the Broncos to work on. 

Now, let's look at the player grades for the Broncos' Week 1 win. Each player is graded on every play based on their impact and whether they are doing things right. Players start with a grade of 50, and it goes from there, up for good, and down for bad.

However, a player has to reach 15 snaps as a floor to qualify for an in-game grade, as lower snap counts can skew the grades. With that said, let’s jump into the player grades for the season opener. 

Offensive MVP: Garett Bolles | LT | Grade: 76.2

The Broncos' offense had an ugly showing, but it graded out well overall, surprisingly. Bolles had a good game both when watching it live and when reviewing the tape.

While he was credited with allowing two pressure, he did well to put those behind him and keep playing hard. Bolles also stepped up as a run blocker and had his best game in that aspect since 2022.

Defensive MVP: Nik Bonitto | OLB | Grade: 84.7

It didn’t take long for Bonitto to showcase why the Broncos signed him to the big extension that they did. He had a massive impact as a pass rusher, making multiple big plays against the run, though they all saw Bonitto go unblocked. That said, he still had some good run defense reps where he was shoulder-checking blockers to keep himself in position. 

Quarterback: Bo Nix | Grade: 42.6

This is a game you want to forget if you are Nix, but not a game you should forget. Nix started hot, but his momentum quickly crumbled, and his mechanics went out the door.

Even with clean pockets or time to reset, Nix tried to trick-shot nearly every throw. He also threw two terrible passes, one of which was a horrible decision, that were picked off. He then made a poor attempt to escape the pocket and put the ball on the ground, which the Titans recovered. 

The Positive

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Riley Moss (21) tackles Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (5) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Riley Moss | CB | Grade: 80.2

There is some Moss criticism going around, but it's misguided. He was targeted eight times, allowing three catches for 21 yards, had a big pass break-up, and was stellar working down hill against the run. 

Justin Strnad | LB | Grade: 78.6

Dre Greenlaw was held out for the game, but Strnad did a great job filling in, flying all over the field and making plays. Strnad made a play in every aspect he could: in coverage, between the tackles, outside of the tackles, and as a pass rusher. There were few negatives to Strnad's performance. 

Ja’Quan McMillian | CB | Grade: 72.1

The Broncos named McMillian the starting nickel over their first-round pick Jahdae Barron, and the veteran showed why. He excelled in coverage, preventing any big plays, and worked effectively in the alley as a run defender. However, his biggest play came on a blitz, resulting in a strip-sack of Cam Ward, which was recovered by Barron. 

Courtland Sutton | WR | Grade: 67.8

There were issues with Sutton — the same ones he's had throughout his career — so they're part of his game. However, he made a great play for the touchdown catch and showed more physicality with the ball in his hands than he has in a while.

Troy Franklin | WR | Grade: 66.2

Franklin ran good routes and got good separation, but his best performance was as a blocker. He added some mass over the offseason, and it's helping him when working as a blocker outside.

Is it good enough to be trusted as a lead blocker? No, but it is decent enough that you don’t have to worry about Franklin being on the field in run-down situations. 

RJ Harvey | RB | Grade: 64.5

Harvey only ran the ball six times, but he picked up 70 yards, including an explosive 50-yard run. He demonstrated good burst and vision in taking what defenses were giving him, but three of his runs resulted in a total of three yards. In the end, Harvey should be getting more carries going forward because of the vision and burst he showed. 

The rook breaks free! 💨

📺: FOX | @rjharvey07 pic.twitter.com/FBJEim1x47

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 7, 2025

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The Negative

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49) tackles Tennessee Titans wide receiver Chimere Dike (17) in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Alex Singleton | LB | Grade: 34.5

Singleton was rough to watch after recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 3 last season. He continued to show his known issues in coverage, but he was often filling the wrong gaps against the run and seemed a little anxious out there on the field.

J.K. Dobbins | RB | Grade: 43.6

The Broncos' top back saw 40 snaps with 16 rushing attempts and three pass-block snaps. Dobbins was one of the NFL's most inefficient runners last year, and he isn’t starting this season any better. He appears to have hardly any juice left in the tank and is moving very slowly, but he did manage two good runs, including a 19-yard touchdown, on his 16 carries. 

First TD in the orange & blue. 🥳

📺: FOX | @Jkdobbins22 pic.twitter.com/y94pdLRngV

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 7, 2025

Luke Wattenberg | C | Grade: 44.3

Wattenberg was another rough watch live, but it was marginally better upon re-examination. There were some good wins in the run game, despite such a massive (literally) task for him to handle in T’Vondre Sweat. While Wattenberg didn’t generate movement, he cleared Sweat out of rushing lanes. 

Quinn Meinerz | RG | Grade: 52.1

This may be a surprise, as the Broncos' other guard is getting far more attention, but Meinerz had a rough game and was very inconsistent from snap to snap. While he didn’t have the major losses as his counterpart, Meinerz also didn’t have the wins. He's a great guard and should bounce back, and Jeffery Simmons is hard for anyone to handle. 

Brandon Jones | S | Grade: 52.7

The Broncos' safety was all over the place, struggling with tackling and missing two opportunities. He was also late to rotate in coverage, which led to a 14-yard gain for the opposing offense. However, he did make a heads-up play to snag a fumble forced by his counterpart. 

Zach Allen | DL | Grade: 55.9

Allen had a big play as a pass rusher to clean up a sack, but he was largely missing for most of the game. There were a few good run defense snaps, but the Titans did well to limit his impact. It was still a decent game, but hopefully the Broncos can get more out of him going forward. 

Other Noteworthy Grades

Sep 7, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (1) and Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga (9) face off in the first half at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Talanoa Hufanga | S | Grade: 70.4

No new addition to the team made a bigger impact than Hufanga, and not only because of the fumble he forced (recovered by Jones). With how Hufanga plays, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was able to switch up his run defense, and it worked well against the Titans. It’ll be curious to see whether Hufanga can keep it up and allow those changes to persist for Joseph. 

Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 69.8

What is there to say about the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who we know can eliminate the Broncos' top receiver? Surtain was on Calvin Ridley for 27 of his 32 routes and didn’t allow a single catch. When your top corner can eliminate the opposing top receiver, it opens up so much for the defense. 

Ben Powers | LG | Grade: 64.1

This was a shock after going over the game, but Powers was actually solid and not the dumpster fire that I thought when watching it live or even my first time going back through it. He had some bad losses, but he also had some big wins and was more consistent snap-to-snap than his fellow interior offensive linemen. 

It's worth noting that penalty plays don’t get included in grading, so the fact that Powers got called for holding foul isn’t factored into the grades. Unfortunately, balancing penalties has proven challenging when it comes to my grading system. 

Adam Trautman | TE | Grade: 62.7

I have been a vocal critic of Trautman as a blocker, and he performed well in that role against the Titans. He still offers next to nothing as a receiver, but if he can consistently block like he did in the opener, he's decent enough that the Broncos can live with it.