Broncos Individual Player Grades For Week 13 vs. Chargers Revealed
For the fourth time this season, the Denver Broncos walked out of gameday with a win. Denver managed to beat the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20, which gives the Broncos the sweep over the Divisional foe on the season.
It was a good win for the Broncos and many players really stood out. It was a nice bounceback after the disaster that was the Buffalo Bills loss.
There were a lot of good performances to highlight and some not so much. So as always, there are four players with positive grades, four with negative grades and four others that are worth mentioning.
This grading system has been honed and adapted for the last five-plus years. Each player starts with a grade of 50, and it will either get raised or lowered based on each snap and the player's impact on the play.
A cornerback on the backside of a run shedding a block will get a slight raise to their grade, but a corner shedding a block in the run path at the point of attack will get a higher raise in their grade, as they have a bigger impact on the result of the play.
As always, the Broncos' MVP of Week 13 — or highest-graded player — is revealed in the video above, along with the analysis on what he did to earn it.
The Good
Justin Simmons, S: 84.3
The soon-to-be free agent safety had a really good game for the Broncos and came up big multiple times to make big stops. There were a couple of mistakes from Simmons, the worst seeing him run into a cornerback that led to a big play. Despite that, it was a good game all-around from Simmons.
Dalton Risner, LG: 84.1
The rookie guard was a bully for the Broncos against the Chargers. He imposed his will basically and opened up some big running lanes, while shutting down the pass rush. What bad plays he did have weren’t enough to cripple his grade.
Garett Bolles, LT: 83.6
It is back to a good week for the Broncos left tackle. He still shows no signs of consistency, and some of his best games have come against premier edge rushers. This week he was up against Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram and did a great job keeping both from the quarterback. Bolles also did very well in the running game.
Derek Wolfe, DE: 83.0
What negatives there were from Wolfe all come from the running game. The Chargers were able to create some big holes going his way, but Von Miller's absence didn’t help Wolfe or the Broncos. However, Wolfe did enough as a pass rusher, beating up on former Bronco Michael Schofield to really boost his grade.
The Bad
DaeSean Hamilton, WR: 17.4
Another bad game from Hamilton with another costly drop. Denver needs to get him on the juggs machine and get those hands fixed if they want to salvage that fourth-round pick they spent on him. Hamilton is normally helped out with his grade because of his role as a blocker, but this was not one of those games.
Chris Harris, Jr., CB: 38.2
Harris isn’t a true shutdown corner. That's safe to say. On one big snap, he completely ran the wrong play, running zone instead of man. He also gave up a few other catches that didn’t necessarily pick up a lot of yards, but did move the ball for the Chargers on third down.
Ronald Leary, RG: 44.7
Leary missed some blocks in the running game, which really hurt the middle of the line. His pass protection was fine, however. It is unfortunate he left the game with a concussion, but the Broncos O-line didn’t look any worse with Austin Schlottmann out there than it did with Leary. In fact, it actually looked a little better.
Todd Davis, LB: 48.9
Davis has had an excellent season for the Broncos, but this game is one he needs to forget. He did lead the team in tackles, and he played the run decently well. What happened to give him such a low grade is that the Chargers just force bad matchups for Davis and exploited him in coverage.
Other Grades of Note
Isaac Yiadom, CB: 76.8
It is tough to grade Yiadom for this game somewhat. He gave up one huge deep catch, but his coverage was nearly perfect and the catch was just insane. There were other catches Yiadom gave up, but he was quick to come up and make the tackle. What stood out the most about his game was his outstanding run support.
Courtland Sutton, WR: 73.5
Sutton is a freak when it comes to some of the catches he makes. He is also killing it as a blocker. There is one issue with him and his game, but it isn’t all his fault. Teams have found a way to take him out of the game later on, and the lack of a true No. 2 receiver hurts that. However, to be truly dominant, Sutton has to find ways to still make the plays needed when they are needed.
Drew Lock, QB: 70.5
The rookie finally started and it was a very fine performance. It wasn’t perfect by any means, and there are a few plays that I am sure he wants back, which will be broken down in a film piece later this week. Lock showed poise, even under pressure, had great situational awareness and showed off his ability to move and make plays.
Shelby Harris, DE: 57.9
It was just a solid game from Harris upfront. The Chargers O-line kind of bullied him in pass protection and on the ground, but he still managed to make a few plays. Some of his best plays were just Harris doing his job which opened the way for others.
Don't forget to check out the video above for the one Broncos star of Week 13.
Follow Erick on Twitter @ErickTrickel and @MileHighHuddle.
