Broncos Game Grades: Albert Okwuegbunam stars in Denver's 41-0 win in the preseason finale

DENVER, Colo. — The preseason is over.

The Broncos beat the Los Angeles Rams 41-0 Saturday night at Empower Field at Mile High. It was their first win of the preseason. They’ll open the regular season Sept. 10 against the Raiders.

Here’s how the Broncos graded out…

Offense

Quarterbacks

Jarrett Stidham: A+ — If Stidham played the second half of Saturday’s game and put up identical stats to the first half, he would have finished with 34 completions on 56 attempts for 472 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. Plus, he would have had 40 rushing yards, bringing him to 512 yards of total offense. The Broncos haven’t had that much offense in a single game since 2014.

Stidham was sharp from start to finish, but the most impressive part of his day may have been the way he handled the beating he was taking. He was hit on a pair of passes to Marvin Mims, including on the deep ball. He was hit on the deep ball to Brandon Johnson. He was hit on the throw that Jaleel McLaughlin dropped. His most egregious miss of the day was on a wheel route to Tony Jones Jr. right before halftime, but he had pressure in his face, so it’s tough to blame him for the overthrow.

Ben DiNucci: A- — DiNucci was crisp. He used Albert Okwuegbunam to bail him out of some tricky situations, like a 3rd & 21 and a 4th & 4. He converted a 3rd & 6 by hitting Montrell Washington. He threw his touchdown to Tyler Badie on fourth down. 

He may have made a couple of bad decisions, like when he didn’t get the ball to Tony Jones Jr. for a short touchdown and scrambled instead or when he hit Montrell Washington in the chest through three defenders. Overall, it was a solid night. He finished with 11 completions on 15 attempts for 117 yards and a touchdown, with 22 rushing yards on four attempts.

Running Backs

Jaleel McLaughlin: B+ — The undrafted rookie had a drop, missed a chip in pass protection, and hit the B gap instead of a wide-open C gap in the second quarter. But McLaughlin still earned a positive grade. He made a couple of great cutbacks; one created a four-yard gain out of nothing in the first quarter, and another created an eight-yard gain out of nothing in the second quarter. He showed off his vision again on his touchdown run. McLaughlin finished the game with 10 carries for 48 yards and a touchdown, and 40 of those yards came after contact, according to PFF. His contributions easily outweighed his mistakes.

Tony Jones Jr.: C+ — Jones’ stats are lackluster—he carried the ball four times for 13 yards and had an 11-yard catch—but his offensive line deserves more blame than he does. 

Tyler Badie: C- — Like Jaleel McLaughlin, Badie averaged less than one yard before contact on his rushing attempts. Unlike McLaughlin, Badie wasn’t able to turn nothing into something. He finished with 15 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts.

Dwayne Washington: B — He showed good vision and patience on his 16-yard run as he waited for the hole to develop. He had a spin in the backfield to avoid taking a loss. He also caught a touchdown on fourth down from three yards out. A holding call to set up a 3rd & Goal from the 13, and that holds his grade back.

Michael Burton: B — Burton had his low point of preseason when he whiffed on a block on the edge during a first-quarter run. He had an otherwise clean day. He led the way on a 10-yard Tony Jones Jr. run to the two-yard line. He had a great cut block. He converted a 2nd & 1 easily.

Tight Ends

Nate Adkins: B- — Once again, the undrafted rookie made great block after great block on Saturday. He kicked out the edge defender on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 15-yard run, the longest of his day. He sealed the edge for a Ben DiNucci scramble and then provided a strong lead block on a run on the next play. He even caught a pass in the flat out of the backfield and picked up 11 yards. But he was called for an early holding that turned a 3rd & 2 into a 2nd & 16, which tanks his grade.

Albert Okwuegbunam: A+ — A one-handed catch. A hurdle. A great block on a touchdown run. A boxout against a cornerback on third down. A back pylon touchdown. A 3rd & 21 conversion. What a game.

Okwuegbunam did just about everything you could ask of him. There were a couple of blocks that he probably could have sustained a little bit longer, like a toss in the third quarter, but that’s nit-picking. His unnecessary roughness penalty was offset, so we’ll ignore it in the grade.

Wide Receivers

Marvin Mims: A — Mims picked up 51 receiving yards, and he did it on 19 snaps, or about one-third of the workload for a starting receiver in a standard game. The big play does the heavy lifting. He tracked the ball well and brought it in through contact 50 yards downfield. He had a solid block on a screen to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. It was nothing special, but the rookie held his own. He also had a great punt return, picking up 19 yards. A false start that turned a 3rd & 8 into a 3rd & 13 takes him out of A+ territory.

Brandon Johnson: A — The 49-yard catch is the headliner here. He did well to track the ball and bring it in between two defenders. His other catch was an easy nine-yard hitch. Blocking was a bit of an adventure. He had a great block on an early screen when he threw a defensive back out of bounds. He also took a bad angle against a cornerback on the Marvin Mims jet sweep that ended with a facemask.

Marquez Callaway: D- — Callaway’s only target was a third-down fade to the end zone that he couldn’t reel in.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey: A — Humphrey showed off an ability to make plays with his legs, producing 44 of his 57 yards receiving yards after the catch. The highlight was a good move to make a linebacker miss at the second level, turning a 10-yard gain into an 18-yarder. He also beat man coverage to pick up 21 yards on a dig on 3rd & 9. Humphrey lined up tight to the offensive line on several occasions and provided a unique look. On one play, he chipped the defensive end hard and came open on a drag route. On another, the Broncos hit him on a screen. His versatility could help him earn a roster spot.

Kendall Hinton: D — Hinton had another tough game. He didn’t have a chance on a third-down throw from Ben DiNucci. He had a drop in front of the sticks on 2nd & 10. He made a good catch on a scramble drill to move the sticks… but the play was negated by a holding call. He made a good block on Jaleel McLaughlin’s 15-yard run but didn’t make an impact on the stat sheet.

Montrell Washington: C — Washington made a nice move after a short catch to pick up a 3rd & 6. He could have had another catch after Ben DiNucci weaved a ball through three defenders, but Washington couldn’t hold onto the ball. He also didn’t get to return a kick or punt.

Tackles

Cam Fleming: C — Fleming was up and down in his limited work. He handled a twist perfectly, giving Jarrett Stidham a chance to convert the first third down of the game. He also gave up the big hit that knocked Stidham out of the game for a play on the deep ball to Mims.

Alex Palczewski: C- — The undrafted rookie’s mistakes were loud. His holding negated a throw for a first down in the two-minute drill, and he should have allowed a sack on Jarrett Stidham, but the quarterback was somehow able to escape the defender and scramble for a big gain. He also missed a block that blew up a run at the end of the third quarter. The highlights were also obvious, like when he took out two defenders on Tony Jones Jr.’s 10-yard run. He also had a good block on Jaleel McLaughlin’s longest run of the day and on a toss in the two-minute drill.

Demontrey Jacobs: C- — A holding penalty doomed the Broncos’ two-minute drill before halftime, but he was generally sharp. Jaleel McLaughlin missed a hole he helped create in the second quarter.

Guards

Quinn Bailey: B — Bailey had a clean night as a pass protector. His best moment came on the first third down of the game when he handled a twist perfectly. The run blocking wasn’t quite as sharp. He was tossed to the side on the first run after the deep ball to Marvin Mims.

Luke Wattenberg: C+ — Wattenberg gave up a hit on the deep ball to Brandon Johnson. He also stumbled on his way to the second level on a run, which may have prevented a big gain. Other than that, it was a pretty clean night.

Will Sherman: D — Sherman had a great pull on a 10-yard run from Tony Jones Jr. inside the red zone and another good block after the bomb to Brandon Johnson. But the mistakes outweigh the positives. He gave up a hit shortly after entering the game. He missed a block on the back side of a run that resulted in a stuff. He couldn’t reach his man on a screen. The low point came when he gave up a sack early in the fourth quarter.

Centers

Alex Forsyth: B- — Forsyth had back-to-back strong blocks on Tony Jones Jr.’s 4th & 1 conversion and then his touchdown run. He missed a block at the second level on a second-quarter 2nd & 8, but generally had a clean night.

Defense

Defensive Linemen

Matt Henningsen: B+ — Henningsen was strong in the running game, as always, but it didn’t convert too much production. When he punched a tight end back on a run, the running back was able to find room to run by cutting back in the other direction. Hennigsen’s highlight was a deflected pass.

Elijah Garcia: B — Recovering the fumble on Drew Sanders’ interception helps Garcia’s grade. He was quiet for the most part and never worked his way into the backfield, but his length helped him contribute to a tackle.

Jordan Jackson: B — A third-down batted ball was the highlight of Jackson’s day. He also contributed to a pair of tackles.

PJ Mustipher: B- — Mustipher had a quiet night in the passing game but was stout as a run defender. His three tackles were the most of any defensive lineman.

Outside Linebackers

Aaron Patrick: A- — Patrick cleaned up a sack on a blitz and also had a hit that forced a completion on 3rd & 9.

Marcus Haynes: C — Haynes came close to having a great night. He got around the edge on a 3rd & 2 but couldn’t quite get the running back down. He should’ve had a tackle for loss on the final drive but missed the tackle. He came within inches of blocking a punt. Haynes’ highlight was a good rush when he batted a ball away.

Thomas Incoom: B — Incoom got around the edge for a 2nd & 10 sack in the second quarter but didn’t have anything else to show for his efforts on Saturday.

Chris Allen: A- — Allen wasn’t on the field for long, but he made a few tackles. On one, he dodged a puller and slipped inside to help stuff a run. 

Inside Linebackers

Drew Sanders: A- — We saw the full Drew Sanders Experience on Saturday. He helped out with a number of tackles. He made a couple of clean plays in coverage. He picked off a pass. But he also fumbled after he caught the interception and whipped a receiver to the ground, drawing a 15-yard penalty. Sometimes, he’s too strong for his own good.

Justin Strnad: C+ — Strnad had a couple of pressures and should have had a sack, but somehow went over the top of the quarterback.

Seth Benson: A- — Benson was the Broncos’ leader with six tackles. He helped with a couple of run stuffs, including one that set up a 3rd & 4 in the fourth quarter.

Cornerbacks

Ja’Quan McMillian: C- — McMillian made a couple of good plays, like when he blew up a screen and or when he made a key block on Marvin Mims’ punt return. He also gave up a slant for 27 yards. He was steady enough in coverage the rest of the day to hold onto the C-, although he’s teetering on the edge.

Essang Bassey: A+ — Bassey’s first two interceptions of preseason were pretty lucky. One bounced straight to him. Another came when the receiver fell down in front of him. Credit to him for being in good position, but mistakes from others made his plays possible.

But that wasn’t the case on Saturday when Bassey nabbed his third interception of preseason. He read the quarterback’s eyes, left his assignment and undercut a throw that should have been safe. It was a great play. So was his pass breakup on a 3rd & 5 slant from the slot. That’s a tough play for any cornerback, but Bassey was patient and trailed the receiver perfectly. He also had a good blitz, which helped create a sack.

Faion Hicks: A- — The only catch that Hicks allowed was a quick hitch for a two-yard gain that the second-year cornerback pounced on quickly. He also threw a shoulder to help with a tackle on a run up the middle on the next play.

Tremon Smith: A — Smith was flawless in coverage. His only target was on a deep ball near the middle of the field, but Smith smothered it. He also made a good tackle on a toss to his side of the field.

Delonte Hood: A- — Hood made a few good plays on Saturday. He contested a catch at the sticks that forced a fourth down. He had a tackle at the line of scrimmage on the final drive. When he gave up a catch at the sticks, he had a pass breakup on the next play. And all of this came while only playing eight snaps. 

Safeties

Dellarin Turner-Yell: B- — Turner-Yell didn’t make it into the stat sheet, despite playing 25 snaps. The closest he came was on a 3rd & 2 run, when he got into the backfield but couldn’t make the tackle.

JL Skinner: C+ — Skinner’s highlight was a good cover on a deep corner. He was also called for illegal contact in the first quarter.

Devon Key: B- — Key helped over the top to prevent a deep ball. He also had a pair of hard hits on short passes to the boundary in the fourth quarter. He made a great play to get downfield and make a solo tackle on a punt, but he ran out of bounds for too long and drew a flag, which tanks his grade.

Special Teams

Brett Maher: C+ — Maher was two-for-two on field goals and five-for-five on extra points. He also sent a kickoff out of bounds and let the Rams start a drive at the 40.

Riley Dixon: A — The Broncos only punted once, and Dixon sent the ball 60 yards and dropped it inside the 20.