Throughout the entire 2020-21 season, DNVR will be giving you game grades from every Denver Broncos contest, evaluating all the starters and beyond to give you a better look at the team’s strengths and weaknesses on a game-by-game basis.

Getting outplayed by one of the truly great teams in the NFL happens, it’s part of being one of the ‘have nots’ when taking on one of the ‘haves’. But on this snowy Sunday in Denver, the Broncos 43-16 defeat wasn’t about being outplayed by a better team it was about amateur-like mistakes that demolished the impact of some standout performances across the board.

That divide led to some rough grades that are representative of the humiliating defeat, and at the same time, some impressive grades from members of the team that stepped up under harsh conditions.

Standouts from the game

Malik Reed: A

Reed’s explosive first-step and bend were on full display as he beat the Chiefs tackles off the jump and get into the backfield with regularity. With two sacks and another QB hurry, he was a force as a pass rusher. The second-year undrafted edge rusher played well against the run as well, with 1.5 run stuffs, and handled himself well in coverage too. A breakout performance.

Bryce Callahan: A

Callahan did a fine job covering Tyreek Hill, one of the toughest matchups in all of football, showing great quickness to react to cuts and not let Hill loose underneath or when cutting back towards the ball. He was solid tackling in space, in a mistake-free game where he only conceded three receptions for 31 yards on five targets.

Phillip Lindsay: A+

Lindsay was running the ball like an absolute superstar, breaking off big chunks consistently one play after another. His quickness to hit the hole or change direction really stood out, as did his powerful downhill running style. He was on pace for a monster game before he was sidelined with a concussion.

Garett Bolles: A-

With the Broncos running almost exclusively towards the right side, Bolles didn’t have many opportunities to lead the way for the ground game but he had a close to immaculate performance otherwise, as the only member of the line to not be penalized or allow a negative play (Sack, TFL or Run Stop). Bolles, once again, was smooth and played within himself doing a great job of mirroring KC’s ends in pass protection.

Defense

DeShawn Williams: B

With the Broncos playing more nickel than usual, Williams played well as a conventional defensive tackle, clogging run lanes or bursting through the Chiefs backfield to the tune of 1.5 run stuffs. A solid showing in 57-percent of the defensive snaps.

Shelby Harris: C

Harris was asked to anchor Denver’s front and had his moments with a run stuff and a QB hit but also a frustrating late unsportsmanlike penalty that gifted the Cheifs another touchdown.

Dre’Mont Jones: B-

Jones returned and was immediately asked to play 61 percent of the defensive snaps, two short of Shelby Harris. In those snaps, Jones has some nice flashes with a sack and half a run stuff. He showcased his skills as an interior penetrator and took advantage of a Chiefs line that wasn’t at 100 percent.

Bradley Chubb: B

Chubb looked more impressive on the stat sheet than on tape. He was able to get a sack, a QB hurry and hit but mostly as an unblocked rusher on five-man blitzes. Beyond getting his shots on Mahomes, Chubb played a solid game, set the edge well against the run, and did generate pressure.

Alexander Johnson: A-

Johnson played well downhill, clogging running lanes and then forcing a huge fumble as all the momentum was swinging KC’s way. He had very few issues in coverage—33 receiving yards allowed on three receptions—and was crucial taking up blockers on blitzers to free up his teammates. One of five defenders to have played every snap, Johnson was rock-solid in his best performance of 2020.

Josey Jewell: D

Jewell didn’t stand out in any area, looking slow reacting in coverage underneath, and a bit absent creating plays around the line of scrimmage.

Michael Ojemudia: B

Ojemudia was physical and handled his first outing against the Cheifs quite well, keeping everything in front of him and allowing just two grabs for 42 yards. He did get beat on a 38-yard grab by Mecole Hardman but was solid the rest of the day.

A.J. Bouye: B

Bouye had a strong game in his return, rarely getting challenged outside and tackling well out on the sideline.

Kareem Jackson: D

Jackson couldn’t get the first tackle, or even stop Clyde Edwards-Helaire in his tracks on his opening touchdown and that was a bit of a theme on the day. As the Chiefs screen game gave Denver issues, Jackson’s impact flying downhill to sniff those out was also lacking. He was far from the tone-setter in the secondary that we’re accustomed to.

Justin Simmons: D+

Simmons handled himself well in coverage, not allowing anything over the top and only conceding one grab for 10 yards. However, as the last line of defense, Simmons missed two key tackles letting CEH first and Hill later into the end zone.

Other noteworthy defensive performances

DeMarcus Walker had some really nice flashes, getting upfield and in the Chiefs backfield for a sack and run stuff, making his presence felt in 22 snaps.

Anthony Chickillo was blown off the line leaving a huge hole out the edge on a rare big run by the Chiefs, in an underwhelming performance.

Offense

Dalton Risner: B+

Risner played at a Pro-Bowl level as a run blocker, leading the way on just about every big run. He excelled in space on pull blocks and always put a hat on a defender at the second level, in an incredibly efficient outing.

He did struggle a bit one-on-one blocking, allowing some pressure against the run and in pass pro. But make no mistake, he’s the primary reason the Broncos ran for 177 yards and 5.4 yards per clip.

Lloyd Cushenberry III: D-

Cushenberry’s struggles continued as Chris Jones beat him a few times in a game where the rookie center was beaten for two sacks, penalized for holding and conceded a tackle for a loss.

Graham Glasgow: B

Glasgow played well, though he wasn’t impactful like Risner or clean as Bolles but still played a pretty solid game. His biggest mistake came on a poor second-level block which led to a run stop when the game was already out of hand.

Demar Dotson: D

Dotson’s struggles getting to the second level and creating push continued and he was also beat cleanly by a blitzing second-level defender for a sack that put the Broncos out of field goal range to end the half.

Jerry Jeudy: C

Jeudy had some nice moments wiggling free to buy extra yardage after the catch, but his impact wasn’t enough as he was only targeted four times.

Tim Patrick: C

Patrick got a big grab downfield to kickstart the Broncos offense but didn’t have much impact after that. He also had a couple of tough run blocks leading to two run stuffs.

Noah Fant: N/A

It was a frustrating day for Fant, who had some wide-open looks but wasn’t always targeted and had few opportunities to get loose for big YAC plays. In a game with more two and three tight end looks, he was utilized mostly as a receiver and simply not featured enough.

Melvin Gordon: F

Gordon had his moments running with the ball, though he was grossly overshadowed by Lindsay and had two crucial turnovers. His fumble was bad but his poor execution on the flea-flicker was even more baffling. A really rough outing.

Drew Lock: D-

Lock had his moments early, throwing a dart on the run to Patrick for a big gain and converting 2-of-4 third-and-long opportunities, and even scoring a rushing touchdown but the endless number of mistakes he had in this game overshadowed those early flashes.

Lock looked far too aggressive, forcing everything downfield rather than taking what the defense gave him, seemingly pressing the entire time. He also struggled with simple, open throws as his insistence on throwing off his back foot really hurt his accuracy and placement while dealing with the elements.

From a decision-making, accuracy and mechanics standpoint this game was an absolute failure even if Denver’s offense moved the chains at times.

Other noteworthy offensive performances

Albert Okwuegbunam led the team in receiving yards and showed nice ability as a safety blanket underneath.

K.J. Hamler had some moments but also fumbled and had a 3rd-and-4 conversion slip out of his hands and right into a KC interception.

Special Teams: F-

When already fighting an uphill battle against a veteran team, the number of mistakes the Broncos’ special team unit had was absolutely unacceptable.

From allowing a 102-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to Hamler’s muffed punt (recovered by the Broncos), Brandon McManus missing an extra point and an onside kick that resulted in a 21-yard gain for the opponents, the costly mistakes were never-ending. A full-on disaster.

Coaching: B-

This was a hard coaching performance to grade because the game plan wasn’t the problem, execution undoubtedly was.

Vic Fangio and Ed Donatell‘s defensive plan was very effective, limiting big plays, stifling the run and forcing the Chiefs to go 0-for on third-down conversions.

Pat Shurmur stuck with the run despite the game getting out of hand. He could’ve fed Lindsay more but didn’t have the option after a while and with Lock missing so many throws was a bit limited himself. The flea-flicker attempt looks terrible in retrospect but you can’t anticipate that level of poor execution and the offense needed a spark.

It was far from perfect, but like the defense, the coaching staff did enough to keep this respectable.