Broncos Player Grades for Week 17's Embarrassing Loss to Chargers

The Denver Broncos entered the game with a chance at the playoffs still alive, but their 34-13 loss to the Chargers officially eliminated the team. It was a poor performance revealing the Broncos' inconsistency from start to finish.

While the Broncos were dealt a rough hand with so many players being placed on the reserve/COVID list, the team had multiple key starters turn in a disappointing performance.

As always, a few quick notes about how grading works. Each player starts with a 50.0 grade, which is average, and with each positive play, their grade goes up, and with each bad play, it drops.

MVP:

Patrick Surtain | CB | Grade: 93.1

The rookie has quickly become one of the top-10 corners in the NFL. Surtain makes it hard for quarterbacks to challenge the Broncos vertically by sticking to receivers' back pocket and challenging the catch point. However, the Chargers did manage a couple of catches against Surtain by using a change of direction to get open for an instant to make the complete pass but nothing big.

The Positive

Garett Bolles | OT | Grade: 87.5

There have been some rough games from Bolles this season, but he had a great game against the Chargers. It wasn't perfect by any means, but it was a lot closer to his play from his 2020 All-Pro campaign than his average this season. Unfortunately, it came too late in this season, but Denver can use Bolles to get back on track next year.

Micah Kiser | LB | Grade: 85.6

The Broncos have had a rotation of linebackers, and most of them have played well. Against the Chargers, Kiser has a strong game after missing eight weeks due to an injury. He was one of the best defenders for the Broncos despite all the issues around him.

Justin Simmons | S | Grade: 85.2

Simmons is one of the best safeties in the NFL, even though he has had his inconsistencies this season. There isn't anything Simmons can't do, and he showcased his rounded skill-set against the Chargers.

Melvin Gordon | RB | Grade: 82.3

While Gordon has put the ball on the ground a few times, his play as a rusher has been consistently good this season. Against the Chargers, he was the only running back that could consistently net positive yardage as the opponent controlled the trenches. There's still some burst with Gordon, and he has good vision.

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The Negative

Netane Muti | IOL | Grade: 28.0

By now, Muti's lack of length is a horse that's been beaten to death but it continues to be an issue. In the running game, he had severe problems with the Chargers' defensive line length. He even gave up a pressure where he barely touched the pass rusher because he didn't match up well with the length needed to halt the opponent's momentum.

Lloyd Cushenberry III | OC | Grade: 30.3

The Broncos' starting center has been hit-or-miss this season, and after missing Week 16, he put up a dismal showing in L.A. There are enough high moments to live with Cushenberry as your starting center, but he creates problems for those around him. He's at a level that Denver can get by with, and not force a change, but still look to find an upgrade.

Aaron Patrick | OLB | Grade: 34.4

This is rough because Patrick was thrust into a starting job, and he wasn't ready. He did have a couple of nice pass rush reps, but his play against the run was terrible. Patrick is worth keeping around because of the flashes he had as a pass rusher, but there is a lot he still needs to work on and clean up.

Kareem Jackson | S | Grade: 41.1

There've been plenty of times this season where you can see that Jackson's age has caught up to him, and there were multiple moments of that against the Chargers. L.A. caught Jackson looking late with his rotation a handful of times, which was all Justin Herbert needed to capitalize. Overall, Jackson's time in Denver was great, but it is soon ending with him a free agent after this season.

Other Noteworthy Grades

Quinn Meinerz | IOL | Grade: 78.5

Denver has gotten a lot from George Paton's first draft class and Meinerz is looking like a critical piece as the team works to fix its offensive line. Meinerz's play isn't perfect by any means, and that was the case against the Chargers, but he is showing improvements each game. He has earned himself a starting job on the offensive line next year with what he has done this season.

Jonathan Harris | IDL | Grade: 73.7

The depth lineman has flashed with good consistency when Harris has had to take the field and that was true for his game against the Chargers. While he still has to work on his run defense, he can generate some inside push as a pass rusher. He has slowly been coming along as a player, but time will run out at some point.

Jonas Griffith | LB | Grade: 70.9

In the previous two games, Griffith has been one of the best defenders for the Broncos, and he still had a strong game against the Chargers. There were more issues in coverage, and the Chargers managed to exploit those issues with solid success. Griffith's best play comes against the run, and he does well taking on blocks and even side-stepping them.

Noah Fant | TE | Grade: 57.8

Denver finally got an excellent game from Fant as a receiver, but his blocking remains problematic. While he will never be an outstanding blocker, Denver needs him to be at least competent as he was in 2020. Nevertheless, it was great to see him show more energy and fight as a receiver before and after the catch than he has shown for most of the season.

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