Broncos Player Grades From Narrow Christmas Win Over Chiefs

The Denver Broncos pulled out the win on Christmas Day to keep themselves in control of the division and for the top seed in the AFC. It was a short week, and it showed in how the Broncos played in their 20-13 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who were decimated by injuries on both sides of the ball entering the game.

The player grades make it clear that if the Broncos can get everything clicking, they can be a powerhouse team, even though they haven’t been able to do so consistently this season. With that said, let’s get into the player grades.

MVPs

Defensive MVP: D.J. Jones | DT | Grade: 83.7

The Broncos' nose tackle was a dominant force in the middle, and he was going off against one of the best centers in the NFL, Creed Humphrey. The Broncos' success in defending the run has been largely due to Jones' outstanding play throughout the season.

Offensive MVP: Mike McGlinchey | RT | Grade: 81.2

The right tackle was brought in for his top-notch run blocking, but he has struggled to play to that level this season, until this game. Not only was McGlinchey consistently excellent as a run blocker, but he also performed well as a pass protector, giving up only one pressure.

Quarterback

Bo Nix | Grade: 63.7

Nix's play was more erratic than the Broncos have seen since their mini-bye week earlier in the season, but it was still a good game from him. It's incumbent upon him to get back to being settled in the pocket and with cleaner footwork, which was also an issue against the Jacksonville Jaguars last week.

Nix showed improvement after the Broncos' first mini-bye of the season, and they have another one now.

The Positive

Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) celebrates after scoring during the third quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Quinn Meinerz | RG | Grade: 79.8

Congratulations on a much-deserved Pro Bowl for Meinerz. His play against the Chiefs showed why he is so deserving. Not only was he a mauler as usual in the run game, but he did well in pass protection and showed his football IQ on multiple plays.

Malcolm Roach | DT | Grade: 78.9

The Broncos' run defense has been great for most of the season and consistently excellent when Jones and Roach are on the defensive front. Roach has been great for the Broncos since coming off injured reserve this season.

Alex Forsyth | C | Grade: 76.6

A lot of credit to Forsyth for stepping in on a short week with little practice to prepare and for playing a great game across all phases. Although the sample size was small, he looked like a legitimate NFL starter in this game.

Eyioma Uwazurike | DL | Grade: 76.2

Uwazurike has shown significant development for the Broncos and is deserving of a larger role next season. While he is a very different player from John Franklin-Myers, the Broncos could be looking at Uwazurike as his replacement on run downs and Sav’ion Jones on passing downs.

P.J. Locke | S | Grade: 73.8

There has been a lot of hate for Locke since he stepped in for Brandon Jones in Week 16, but he was decent against the Jaguars and great against the Chiefs. The issues the defense has had in the last two games are hardly on Locke, and he is pushing for a good contract and a chance to start elsewhere during the offseason.

Garett Bolles | LT | Grade: 68.9

The Broncos' offensive line played a solid all-around game, and four of the six main components performed well. Bolles has put together a great season, with only one bad game (the first matchup against the Chiefs), but the issues he had in Week 11 were corrected in this one.

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The Negative

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray (83) catches a pass against Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2). — Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray (83) catches a pass against Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II (2) during the second quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Adam Prentice | FB | Grade: 35.4

The fullback had a rough game, despite having become a fan favorite in recent weeks. The blocking was an issue, as he whiffed on multiple attempts, disrupting multiple runs.

Patrick Surtain II | CB | Grade: 43.7

It was a rough game for Surtain, who allowed three catches for 36 yards but got hit with a defensive pass interference call, though the penalty doesn’t get factored into grades. When watching Surtain, it appeared that he was taking the matchup lightly because of the Chiefs' injury situation.

Evan Engram | TE | Grade: 44.8

Engram caught all four of his targets for 15 yards, but his blocking continues to be problematic. The Broncos gave him a good-sized deal for him to play less than 40% of the snaps because of how bad his blocking is, and he hasn’t made up for it with his play as a receiver.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey | WR | Grade: 45.1

Humphrey saw the field a lot, and he was consistently rough, especially as a blocker, which is usually his strong point. As a receiver, he only had two catches on five targets, though they went for 23 yards.

Jonathon Cooper | OLB | Grade: 51.3

Cooper has been lackluster since the Broncos' bye week, and his rush lane discipline remains an issue for this defense. He's had little impact as a pass rusher, and his run defense has been stagnant.

Zach Allen | DL | Grade: 51.5

Allen had issues with Pro Bowl guard Trey Smith. Allen only had two pressures, and he struggled as a run defender for much of the game, getting handled in one-on-one blocks.

Other Noteworthy Grades

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (19) throws a pass as he is hit by Denver Broncos linebackers. — Dec 25, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Chris Oladokun (19) throws a pass as he is hit by Denver Broncos linebacker Jonathon Cooper (0) and Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto (15) during the first quarter at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Nik Bonitto | OLB | Grade: 73.1

While Bonitto has struggled to get sacks, he is still generating a lot of pressure and contributed to this game. He also did well, though not great, as a run defender, showing minor improvements.

Adam Trautman | TE | Grade: 66.2

There were some issues as a blocker with Trautman, but he performed well overall. He also added 24 yards on two catches. For most of the season, he has shown more reliability as a receiver than Engram has.

Ben Powers & Alex Palczewski | LG | Grade: 60.7 & 56.3

The offensive line played a good game, even with the continued rotation at left guard. Powers was slightly better and played more than Palczewski, likely pointing to Powers being the full-time starter in the season finale. Palczewski was rough for most of his time as the starter, but he was solid against the Chiefs.

Riley Moss | CB | Grade: 53.1

Moss had some good moments in coverage, but also got beaten for a touchdown. It was a solid game overall, but his tackling was again a concern after it was a bit rough to close out the Jaguars game.