PFF’s season grades go a long way toward explaining the Denver Broncos through four games. The pass rush and two offensive linemen are grading among the best players on the roster, and Bo Nix has the lowest grade on the offense after Sunday’s 24-14 loss at San Francisco.
Denver is 2-2 and already two games behind Kansas City in the AFC West. Coach Sean Payton said the Broncos “gotta figure it out fast, because we’re going into Week 5,” according to Yahoo Sports.
Positive: Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto are getting home
Allen has 19 pressures, nine quarterback hits and an 81.8 overall grade, according to PFF, and he leads the team with three sacks. Bonitto has 12 pressures on 94 pass-rush snaps and an 86.5 pass-rush grade, the best on the defense.
Malcolm Roach has added 10 pressures and three batted passes from the interior. Denver has 77 pressures as a team, and it sacked Matthew Stafford four times in the Week 3 win.
Positive: Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles are anchoring the line
Meinerz has the best overall grade on the offense at 86.2, built on a 91.9 run-blocking mark. Bolles is next at 79.7, with an 83.6 pass-blocking grade and an 80.2 run-blocking grade, according to PFF.
Nix has been sacked five times in 135 attempts, and four of those came in the opener. The interior has been shakier in protection, where Meinerz has a 51.4 pass-blocking grade and guard Ben Powers is at 33.3.
Positive: The Broncos have been better after halftime
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The Broncos have outscored opponents 61-51 after halftime and scored 39 of their 74 points in the fourth quarter. They came back from 13-3 down against Jacksonville and 16-0 down against the Rams, the first time in franchise history the team erased double-digit second-half deficits in back-to-back games, according to The Associated Press.
Talanoa Hufanga’s 66-yard interception return put Denver ahead in the Rams game. He has an 81.7 coverage grade at PFF.
Negative: Bo Nix ranks last on the offense in PFF grade
PFF has Nix at 48.4 overall and 50.2 as a passer, last among the 23 players graded on Denver’s offense. The slow start for Nix has now lasted four games. He has completed 60% of his passes for 819 yards with five touchdown passes, three interceptions and 6.1 yards per attempt.
Courtland Sutton has nine catches on 22 targets and a 59.5 grade. Jaylen Waddle, at 69.1 with a team-high 185 receiving yards, has been the most reliable option.
Negative: The first-half offense has 13 points in four games
Denver scored seven first-half points at Kansas City, three against Jacksonville, none against the Rams and three at San Francisco. Opponents have outscored the Broncos 43-13 before halftime.
Payton handed play calling to Davis Webb this season, and the offense ranks 26th in scoring and 27th in yards, per Pro Football Reference. Asked Sunday about changing that, Payton said it was “too early” and “tough to discuss any of that right now.”
Negative: The backs aren’t producing on the ground
Denver is averaging 81.3 rushing yards per game and 3.6 per carry, and it ranks 29th in rushing yards, per Pro Football Reference. J.K. Dobbins has 161 yards on 46 carries with a 53.6 rushing grade at PFF, and RJ Harvey is at 58.2.
The blocking has graded better than the results. Meinerz, Bolles and center Luke Wattenberg all have run-blocking grades above 76. Harvey out-snapped Dobbins 29-21 in San Francisco.
Negative: Missed tackles and injuries at cornerback
PFF has charged Denver with 48 missed tackles in four games. Hufanga has eight, and Riley Moss, Ja’Quan McMillian and Alex Singleton have six each. Opponents are running for 142.8 yards per game, which ranks 30th, and D.J. Jones (31.0) and Eyioma Uwazurike (32.7) have the lowest run-defense grades among Denver’s defensive linemen.
Patrick Surtain II, who has a 46.7 coverage grade, is week-to-week with an ankle injury, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, and Moss is dealing with a rib injury.
