10 Winners, 2 Losers in Broncos' 32-27 Victory Over Panthers

The Denver Broncos notched their fifth win of the season on Sunday, knocking off the Carolina Panthers 32-27. It was also the Broncos' fifth upset victory.

Yup. Every game the Broncos have won this year, which have, admittedly, been few, came as the underdog.

Who were the biggest winners and losers for Denver in Week 14's triumph?

Winner: Drew Lock | QB

Simply put, Lock produced his first true powerhouse performance of the season. And it came on the road in the face of mounting criticism and shade. Lock completed nearly 78% of his passes and tossed a career-high four touchdowns with a career-high passer rating of 149.5 — good for the third-best single-game rating in Broncos history. Adding to the luster of Lock's big day was the fact that he didn't throw an interception and he produced at that level with three new starters on the offensive line. It was good to see the kid finally break through the thunderhead that had been following him around.

Winner: KJ Hamler | WR

Hamler only caught two passes on the day. He was only targeted twice. But both were deep touchdown catches, one a 37-yarder and the other a 49-yarder. The rookie balled out of control and showed off that speed. Said head coach Vic Fangio after the game, "That's why we drafted him." Touche, Coach.

Winner: Melvin Gordon | RB

Gordon, for the second straight week, played a tough, gritty game in which he served as the Rock of Gibraltar for Lock — both literally and figuratively. Although Gordon didn't eclipse the century mark, nor did he find the end zone, he galloped for 68 hard-fought yards on 13 carries while chipping in three catches for 23 yards.

Winner(s): Broncos' O-Line

Denver knew it would be without starting right guard Graham Glasgow this week. But on Sunday morning, learning that left tackle Garett Bolles would be a no-go due to what the team believes is food poising, left the Broncos scrambling. Calvin Anderson started in place of Bolles while the rookie sixth-rounder Netane Muti stepped in for Glasgow. A wrinkle that still goes unexplained, however, was the coaches' decision to plug in Elijah Wilkinson at right tackle, even though Demar Dotson was perfectly healthy. I was skeptical of this decision but it didn't end up costing the Broncos in the long run. Lock was sacked only once and the Broncos fell just short of 100 rushing yards as a team (98). It was an emergency effort and each of the five men deserve props and placement in the winners' bracket.

Winner: Jerry Jeudy | WR

Jeudy finished with just two receptions for 42 yards on four targets but he makes the winners' bracket because of his selfless hustle to chase down Efe Obada after Lock was strip-sacked and the Panthers' big trenchmen scooped up the ball and sprinted down field. Jeudy pursued and eventually caught Obada, bringing him down and saving what would have been a sure-fire defensive touchdown for Carolina. After the drama Jeudy created last week, it was great to see that heart and pride even if it didn't result in a big box-score outing.

Winner(s): Nick Vannett & Troy Fumagalli | TE

Although Noah Fant started this game, he exited early with what is believed to be the same food poisoning as Bolles. The Broncos needed Vannett and Fumagalli to step up and the pair did just that, combining for 73 yards and a touchdown on eight receptions. Fumagalli came a yard short of posting a touchdown himself on an excellent catch-and-run screen that went for 30-plus yards.

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Winner: Will Parks | DB

Parks' first game back as a Bronco saw him flying around the field making plays. He finished the day as the third-leading tackler with six (solo) and sacked Teddy Bridgewater for a 16-yard loss. Parks played a little nickel and some dime-backer and picked up right where he left off last season in Fangio's defense, only this time, he rocked the jersey No. 27 made famous by Hall-of-Fame safety Steve Atwater.

Winner: De'Vante Bausby | CB

With the injuries the Broncos have suffered at cornerback, and the season-ending suspension to A.J. Bouye, the secondary was scraping the bottom of the barrel in Carolina. Or were they? Bausby proved that he should have been on the field all year long, breaking up a pass and notching the game-clinching tackle in the open field to end Carolina's hopes of a comeback. For a corner who supposedly can't tackle, Bausby's five solo tackles would beg to differ.

Winner(s): DeMarcus Walker & Dre'Mont Jones | DL

Once again, Walker came up big as a pass rusher, notching a sack to give him 4.5 on the season. Jones got in on the action, too, picking up his fourth of the season. Neither are a finished product as run defenders but they're improving as the season marches on.

Winner: Diontae Spencer | PR/KR

Spencer finally took a punt to the house, returning one in the first quarter 83 yards to pay dirt. He'd been close many times before but he finally busted loose, setting the tone for Denver early and giving his squad an injection of momentum to get them going. If you squinted real hard, you might have believed that was Trindon Holliday out there making game-changing plays.

Loser: Brandon McManus | K

McManus was far from the 'McMoney' moniker he'd earned over the years in Carolina. He missed not one but two extra-point attempts, which came dangerously close to haunting the Broncos in the clutch. Fortunately, Denver survived McManus' loose-cannon day but after coming through big time for this team through most of the season, he's had some forgettable games of late.

Loser: Phillip Lindsay | RB

Lindsay still doesn't look healthy out here. He only picked up 24 yards on 11 carries (2.18 avg.) but he did catch both of his targets, picking up seven more yards. Lindsay makes this list because I didn't want to have just one loser. A little more creativity from the play-caller would have helped Lindsay in Carolina, instead of the up-the-gut hand-offs that don't play to his explosive skill-set.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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