Broncos Player Grades for Week 4's 32-23 Loss to Raiders
It was a devastating loss for the Denver Broncos, who had a chance to take first place in the division if they'd beaten the Las Vegas Raiders. The Broncos fell short with a bad fumble returned for a touchdown and a rushing defense that was run over all day, falling 32-23.
Tackling continued to be an issue on defense, while drops and penalties once again shot the Broncos offense in the foot. Special teams were the only units that stepped up, primarily the punt return and coverage units.
The Broncos fell to 2-2, and while they still sit second in the division, they lost their top running back for the season. The Broncos have a short turnaround for an inconsistent Indianapolis Colts team next up.
After that, they start hitting the tough part of the schedule. They have to get everything going against the Colts and can't afford to fall to 2-3.
Anyways, before jumping into the grades, a quick reminder. For a player to get graded, they must play at least 20 snaps on their side of the ball.
Melvin Gordon played 10 total snaps on offense, and Hamler played four snaps. The lack of snaps leads to a lopsided grade where Hamler would have a 98.8 grade and Gordon have a 1.8. Sample size matters.
For a quick rundown of how my grading system works, click here.
MVP(s)
Offense: Russell Wilson | QB | Grade: 73.2
This was Wilson's best game, even though his stats were better in the season opener. Stats are a small part of the grade, and it is mostly based on tape, which this was the best tape of Wilson this season. However, it was far from perfect, and he still has bad habits that put receivers and his offensive line in a bad spot.
Wilson made some great reads, and his mechanics were better overall, leading to better placement consistently. While there were three drops credited, it could have easily been five. Some of those, however, were not the best throws from Wilson. It was a good game and a step in the right direction for what Denver needs from the quarterback position.
Defense: Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 93.1
There is no doubt Surtain was the best player on the field for the Broncos. He had a tough matchup with following Davante Adams and essentially shut him down. Adams caught five of nine passes for 55 yards when Surtain was the man in coverage, with a long of 13 yards. Surtain also broke up two passes and stood up Adams after one catch short of the first-down marker.
It was also a solid day for Surtain in run defense, though not a great day. This was the best game, not only of the season but his career when you factor in the matchup he was asked to take alone.
The Positive
Dre'Mont Jones | IDL | Grade: 83.0
Jones was poised for a huge day as a pass rusher against a weaker interior offensive line in pass protection. However, he struggled there, registering only two pressures. What he did extremely well was defend the run.
While the defense struggled as a unit, Jones was getting pretty consistent wins, even if all of them didn't translate into the box score. He was clogging lanes, and his average depth of tackle was behind the line of scrimmage, with a -0.5. Now Denver just needs Jones to put it all together in both phases.
K'Waun Williams | CB | Grade: 78.9
Up until this game, it was relatively quiet for Williams on the season, though it wasn't without some plays. Against the Raiders, he was consistently making plays, including a big sack on a blitz. He took his assignments consistently out of the play, and while he allowed two catches, it was the only time he was targeted, and they went for 17 yards.
Randy Gregory | OLB | Grade: 70.2
While the pressures didn't translate much for Gregory, he was doing a good job winning up front. He had one of the highest pass rush win rates in Week 4, with a 25% per ESPN, while Pro Football Focus had him at 22.3%. Gregory picked up five pressures on the day, with two of them being quarterback hits. Gregory was also one of the few who did a good job against the run, even if it ultimately didn't mean much.
Graham Glasgow | IOL | Grade: 64.3
Before getting to the grade, the holding penalty on Glasgow was a complete joke. It's also a good time for a reminder that penalties are not factored into the grading system.
Glasgow had a solid day. On a day where 3/5ths of the offensive line consistently struggled, Glasgow was the best one out there. Now, that doesn't mean he was great or didn't have his issues. He allowed one pressure in pass protection, which came with him giving help to a teammate while making his own block.
Glasgow also pulled a couple of times on trap runs, and moved well, and executed his block. Unfortunately, another member of the O-line was pushed back, making it a much tougher run. It was a game where he still executed despite giving consistent help elsewhere. If it were not for some bad reps against stunts, his grade would have been significantly higher.
Courtland Sutton | WR | Grade: 62.1
Sutton has been a good blocker for most of the season, but he struggled there against the Raiders. He did have some big catches and did alright, picking up yards after the catch. Despite getting his first touchdown of the season, it was a down day for Sutton, which it is a shame Denver can't afford that with no other receiver stepping up.
Garett Bolles | OT | Grade: 61.9
Again, penalties are not factored into grades largely due to how subjective most penalties are. A called hold may not have actually been holding with the rules as written, which is the case with Glasgow's penalty.
As for Bolles' game, he did well in a tough matchup when faced against Maxx Crosby a few times. He didn't allow a single pressure, no matter who he went up against. There were also some good reps as a run blocker, but he lacks consistency there.
In the case of one of his holds, Bolles was put in a bad position by teammates and didn't have much of a choice to keep Wilson from getting slammed by the pass rusher. It doesn't change the fact that this is yet another step back since his great 2020 season.
The Negative
Lloyd Cushenberry | OC | Grade: 31.7
It is hard to get anything going when your center is two yards behind the line of scrimmage consistently in the run game. Cushenberry has consistently been the weak link on an interior O-line that has struggled all season. On almost every play against the Raiders, Cushenberry got help from one of the guards, and it put the guard in a bad spot.
Denver is starting a third-year center it can't trust to handle individual blocks or to make any calls/adjustments at the line of scrimmage. How much longer can Denver let Cushenberry be an issue?
Even in pass protection, he is consistently pushed back, giving no room to step up for the quarterback. A change has to be discussed, especially with a long rest after their game against the Colts.
Dalton Risner | IOL | Grade: 37.5
Risner wasn't good, even when he didn't have to provide help to the center. He got beat for two pressures and did almost nothing in the run game. Risner is obviously struggling with the help he provides the center, putting himself in a bad position, but it goes beyond that. There is no push from his spot in the run game.
Kareem Jackson | S | Grade: 37.9
Jackson hasn't had a great season, and it's clear he has lost a step on the backend but has so much trust from the coaching staff to stay back there. He missed two tackles against the Raiders and was out of position multiple times. It is nearing the time to have Jackson take a seat on the bench, though injuries at the safety position make that difficult.
Caden Sterns | S | Grade: 39.8
There was a lot of praise for Sterns from his rookie season, but it hasn't translated to this season. He was consistently late coming downhill against the Raiders and then would crash the wrong lane or miss the tackle with two on the game. Denver needs Justin Simmons back, and from there, figure out the position after him.
Jerry Jeudy | WR | Grade: 41.1
Jeudy had a solid game as a receiver catching four of five targets, but he had another drop was missed. The concerns about Jeudy's hands are valid, and while he is only credited with two, a case can be made for one or two more to be dropped. The bigger issue with Jeudy is what he does as a blocker. You can't run his way because he is a liability as a blocker.
As a receiver, Jeudy has to learn what it means to go north towards to first down marker instead of backward or east/west. It hurt the team multiple times against the Raiders. The big year for Jeudy is trending towards being another letdown season for the former first-round pick.
DeShawn Williams | IDL | Grade: 43.5
Williams had a good game in Week 3, but he was a liability against the Raiders. Of his 30 snaps on defense, 12 of them came against the run, and the Raiders consistently targeted him, which was the case during the first two weeks of the season. While he saw more reps as a pass rusher, Williams couldn't make up for his issues as a run defender with one pressure on 18 snaps.
Other Noteworthy Grades
Jonas Griffith | ILB | Grade: 45.3
It was a bad game from Griffith, and his normal strength of filling against the run wasn't there. He got trapped by blocks a good amount and then struggled to work around them. The Raiders were effective at isolating Griffith away from the play.
Javonte Williams | RB | Grade: 57.8
Denver losing Williams for the season is devastating. He was reliable, even with issues with his vision on runs. While he had a couple of big runs, the offensive line struggled to give him a clean pathway, reflected by his 32 yards after contact despite 28 total rushing yards. The issues with the offensive line were compounded by Williams' issues seeing the open lane and instead running into his blockers or the teeth of the defense.
Eric Saubert | TE | Grade: 59.0
While he isn't playing great, Saubert is playing well enough to be the top tight end for Denver. His blocking, while hit or miss, doesn't have extreme lows. He shows a good and consistent effort when blocking. There are no big whiffs on his blocks. Then to add to it, he has shown reliability as a receiver, even with such limited targets.
Ronald Darby | CB | Grade: 63.9
While Darby was quiet in pass coverage, being targeted twice with one catch allowed, he wasn't so quiet in run defense. Darby was extremely inconsistent working against the run, and there were a few times he struggled to get off blocks. The mistakes get heightened in a game where the run defense was dominated.
Coaches
Nathaniel Hackett | HC | Grade: 39.4
What is there to say about the Broncos' new head coach? He looks in over his head as a play caller, and while the play designs are not terrible, he doesn't seem to know how to sequence plays. This has been an issue in all four games, leading to predictable trends that allow the defense to make an educated guess at what is coming.
That doesn't even get to Hackett's usage of certain players, like KJ Hamler, who saw four snaps while practice-squadder Kendall Hinton played 30. While it seems doubtful for Hackett to be one-and-done as the coach, that feels like the way it's trending.
Ejiro Evero | DC | Grade: 56.2
The defense started off strong, but it got stuck in nickel and dime packages, only to be run over by the Raiders. Evero, who made good adjustments in other games, wasn't as good there this time. Tackling was yet another issue for the defense as well.
Another issue with his adjustment was how frequently Josh McDaniels could get a receiver matched up against a linebacker. The Broncos had those unfavorable matchups on eight passing attempts that saw seven catches for 74 yards and three first downs. The one that was missed was a drop.
Dwayne Stukes | STC | Grade: 78.1
The Broncos finally saw the returns from Montrell Washington that led to Stukes pounding the table for him in the fifth round. The Broncos saw some explosive returns by the punt returner to put the offense in a good position. Stukes' coverage units were also doing a good job consistently, and his punter project seems to be working out.
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