Broncos Player Grades from Commanding 28-3 Victory over Bengals

The Denver Broncos defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 28-3 on Monday night. It was a cruising, commanding victory for the Broncos.

There were some phenomenal individual performances, and more than a few that weren't so good.

Even so, the Broncos got some great play from most of their players, and were able to overcome the few bad performances they had. The overall showing of the players are made clear with this week's grades.

Offensive & Defensive MVP

Jonathon Cooper | OLB | Grade: 80.6

Cooper leads the NFL in fastest get-off among players with at least 50 pass rush snaps, with an average get-off of 0.69 seconds. His quick get-off was creating issues for right tackle Amarius Mims, leading to a lot of disruption of the Bengals' offense.

Race ya to the QB. 😤@JonathonCooper7 x @nikkkkbonitto pic.twitter.com/FyuMc36XP5
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 30, 2025

Garett Bolles | LT | Grade: 79.4

So far, Bolles has been one of the best tackles in the NFL. Bolles is tied for the fewest pressures allowed with Penei Sewell among 40 qualifying tackles, per Pro Football Focus. With Bolles facing off against Trey Hendrickson, he allowed only two pressures and kept Hendrickson from impacting the game.

Quarterback

Bo Nix | Grade: 68.5

It was a vast improvement for Nix against the Bengals. Although plenty of issues still remained with his footwork, he made key plays when needed.

Nix had some great reads and passes, and he didn’t seem to be pressing. The footwork issues were not nearly as prevalent as they were in the first three games, showing signs of putting in the work to clean it up.

The Positive

Broncos running back Marvin Mims Jr. scores a touchdown against the Bengals. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Marvin Mims Jr. | WR | Grade: 77.4

Mims made a tremendous impact on the Broncos' offense in his usage as a gadget player. The Broncos need him to find ways to make an impact on offense, especially as he hasn't gotten off to as fast a start as a returner.

He's fast. 💨@marvindmims | 📺: ABC pic.twitter.com/QbDZqX0nWS
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 30, 2025

Brandon Jones | S | Grade: 76.3

Jones was all over the place for the Broncos' defense, and in his primary usage as the high safety. He was taking out a lot of the dialed-up deep shots the Bengals wanted to take to Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. After three weeks of questionable usage, Vance Joseph is deploying Jones to the best of his abilities.

Courtland Sutton | WR | Grade: 65.7

The Broncos' passing offense seems to hum when Sutton is involved, as he was against the Bengals. There is such good trust and chemistry built up between Sutton and Nix, and that was evident against the Bengals often.

Jahdae Barron | CB | Grade: 74.8

The rookie gave up completions on both of his targets in coverage, but he showed his reliability as a tackler as well as a run defender. There were rookie moments, as one should expect, but Barron is showing rapid improvement that could land him even more playing time in the coming weeks.

Ja’Quan McMillian | CB | Grade: 72.9

With McMillian stepping up as he has, the Broncos will have an elite secondary if they can iron out some wrinkles. McMillian was great against the Bengals, but there were some issues that popped up with his run defense.

J.K. Dobbins | RB | Grade: 72.5

The Broncos finally got their 100-yard rusher after 37 games without one. Dobbins was less boom-or-bust than he was over the first three games, and his consistency and efficiency helped him eclipse the century mark, as well as how the Broncos adapted their usage of the running backs.

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The Negative

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass during the first quarter Cincinnati Bengals. — Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) drops back to pass during the first quarter Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Luke Wattenberg | OC | Grade: 38.1

At some point, the Broncos need to consider a change at center as Wattenberg continues to be an issue, not only for the offensive line but for the offense as a whole. With multiple penalties and issues generating push in the run game, there is little wiggle room with Wattenberg as a pass protector, and he has started to struggle there.

Evan Engram | TE | Grade: 43.6

The Broncos brought Engram in to be a mismatch weapon; their ‘joker’ as Payton dubbed it, but he has not lived up to the hype yet. There were some late throws his way from Nix, but a drop from Engram didn't help. Nix and Engram clearly don’t have the chemistry, at least not yet.

Troy Franklin | WR | Grade: 44.7

Franklin started the season hot, but he has struggled the last two weeks. Hopefully, he isn’t turning into a pumpkin, as the Broncos need his skill set. With two drops and some questionable route running, Denver got the rookie version of Franklin.

Zach Allen | IDL | Grade: 53.5

Every player starts at 50, so Allen is actually in the positives. The rest of the defense was better than him, who didn’t make as big an impact as a pass rusher as was expected against a bad Bengals offensive line.

Riley Moss | CB | Grade: 63.2

Moss' start to the game was concerning, to say the least, but he quickly rebounded and put together a great game against what will likely be his toughest receiver matchup on the season. He continues to be one of the most targeted corners in the NFL, while ranking near the bottom in the number of catches allowed after allowing two catches on seven targets against the Bengals.

Justin Strnad | LB | Grade: 65.4

There are issues with Strnad’s game, but he has been far more consistent to start this season than what Denver got out of him last year. While he wasn’t the best linebacker in this game, he has been the best linebacker through the first four games.

Other Noteworthy Grades

Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) runs with the ball as Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49). — Sep 29, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cincinnati Bengals running back Chase Brown (30) runs with the ball as Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton (49) defends during the first quarter at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Alex Singleton | LB | Grade: 69.2

Singleton had a good game despite being a significant issue for the Broncos in their first three games. There were still tackling issues, especially early, and issues in coverage, but he was better working downhill as a run defender and clogging lanes.

Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 68.4

After two bad weeks, Surtain had a great game handling Chase. Surtain won Defensive Player of the Year due in part to shutting down elite receivers, and that's exactly what he did on MNF.

Nate Adkins | TE | Grade: 65.5

Adkins has been great for the Broncos over the last two games. His blocking has brought some reliability and trust. Is it perfect? No, but it's much better than what the Broncos got from the tight ends during the first two games he missed.

Adam Trautman | TE | Grade: 63.4

Trautman was terrible to start the season, but he did well against the Bengals. There are still major issues as a blocker, but he was able to rebound from them better against the Begnals than he had in the first three games.