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.

In an arduous season and once again missing key pieces along the offensive line and at cornerback, the Broncos delivered their most complete victory of the season over the Carolina Panthers with the offense, for once, emerging as the catalyst in Denver’s 32-27 dub.

Here’s who lead the way.

Standouts 

Drew Lock: A

Lock played with a veteran’s composure, taking what the defense gave him, knowing when to check down as extra pressure was sent his way and when to take his shots deep as his speedy wide receivers faced one-on-one matchups.

His timing was much improved and his throws when off balance or on the move, especially to his arm side, were regularly on the money. In general, Lock seemed more poised in the pocket not throwing off-platform when he didn’t need to.

He did a better job with his mechanics and going through his reads, even manipulating coverages with his eyes and seeming very much in control of the offense, converting 50-percent of his third-down throws.

He did have the bad fumble in friendly territory but that’s far from all on him. In the end, no one Bronco led the team to victory more than its quarterback.

Kareem Jackson: A

Jackson was a tone-setter early, nullifying screens and really disrupting the rhythm of Carolina’s quick passing game. Roaming the field and flying downhill, Jackson held any completion that went his way under 10 yards, allowing just six receptions for 39 yards on seven targets with tons of key tackles in space.

K.J. Hamler: A

Speed kills and Hamler absolutely murdered the Panthers secondary for daring to put single coverage on Denver’s young speedster. Hamler blew the top off the defense and punished Carolina for not jamming him at the line on a free release on his first touchdown. On his second one,  he left his defender in the dust on an inside move for an immaculate 49-yard bomb that iced the game. His playmaking skills to wiggle open off the line and game-breaking speed were on full display.

De’Vante Bausby: B+

Bausby played a fine game, really building confidence as the contest progressed and making plays on the ball. No. 41 was targeted nine times allowing just four receptions for 41 yards and tackling well in space. He was also flagged for pass interference which hurts his grade a bit here.

Defense

DeShawn Williams: C

Williams did a nice job stuffing the run early, getting a share of a run stuff as he clogged his gap and stood up to a double team. In 31-percent of the defensive snaps, his impact was fairly limited beyond that.

Shelby Harris: B-

Harris managed to hurry the quarterback and was stout at the point of attack against the run. He didn’t have the flashiest outing but pushed the pocket back and was part of why Carolina had more success on outside runs than between the tackles.

Dre’Mont Jones: C+

Jones had his usual flashes, with a swatted ball at the line and a sack by slipping through a double team. That’s nice, though in 58-percent of the snaps—Shelby Harris played one fewer snap—it would’ve been nice to see more from Jones, especially rushing the passer.

Bradley Chubb: B

Production-wise, Chubb had an incredibly quiet game but go back to the tape and you’ll find he was just inches away from a two-sack and TFL outing. Chubb forced two key holding penalties, bending around the edge for a third-down stop at one point and playing stout defense against the run on the other flag. Then on a slightly delayed rush, he hurried Bridgewater right into Jones’ arms for a sack barely missing the takedown himself.

His impact rushing the passer was there and he played a strong game defending the run despite losing contain on an early outside run and was also hurt in coverage for a Panthers first down. Chubb was also flagged for offsides.

Alexander Johnson: B+

Johnson wasn’t particularly productive against the run or in creating pressure as a blitzer but he stood out in coverage, shutting down Carolina’s quick passing game underneath. Targeted four times, Johnson allowed four receptions for six total yards and still was key in plugging gaps and being a presence against the run.

Josey Jewell: B

Jewell had a similar game to Johnson, doing a nice job of not being exploited in all phases and still making some plays with a QB hurry as a blitzer. In coverage, Jewell read his cues well and only allowed one reception for over 10 yards towards the end of the game, finishing with five receptions allowed on 33 yards off of six targets.

Malik Reed: C+

Reed stood out early against the run with two early run stuffs, an area where he’s shown major improvements this season. His impact rushing the passer was a bit lacking, however.

Michael Ojemudia: C-

The rookie corner did a nice job of not allowing anything to get past him. Playing primarily in zone coverage, he forced three incompletions one of those on a pass deflection. He did get beat for six grabs for 81 yards in a solid performance for a rookie that was asked to play every single snap.

Justin Simmons: B

Simmons wasn’t tested much in coverage but was a reliable last line of defense and strong tackler for Denver’s backend.

Will Parks: B

Already appearing in 81-percent of the defensive snaps, Parks was a playmaker in Denver’s subpackage looks, getting downhill to blow up a screen and finish off a sack. He tackled well in space and played solid coverage in zone and was fast enough to run after the Panther’s speedy playmakers the couple times he let them get by him.

Other noteworthy defensive performances 

DeMarcus Walker had a nice sack and appeared in 37-percent of the snaps.

McTelvin Agim had a pair of QB hurries, one forcing a key incompletion deep. In 15 snaps he made his presence felt.

Jeremiah Attaochu had an opportunistic outing making the most of his 21 snaps with a sack and another tackle for a loss against the run.

Offense

Calvin Anderson: B+

Andreson looked infinitely better than in his previous start in 2020, showing some real ability as a run blocker using his size to engulf defenders and create push. He also showed some smooth skills as a pass protector though he did let a key pressure through on a rare 3rd-and-long where Lock had to bail out the pocket. It certainly wasn’t always perfect but Anderson was impressive.

Dalton Risner: B-

The left side of the line and Cushenberry smoked Carolina’s defense by blocking downfield for Fumagalli’s almost TD screen. Risner also opened up some key holes for the run game on pull blocks. Risner was also a bit slow to get to his spots on a couple of occasions and couldn’t create push on another missed block, resulting in a run stop and TFL.

Lloyd Cushenberry III: B

Cushenberry played a great game, with very few mishaps as a one-on-one blocker while also generating push for the run game and moving well when put on the move. He did turn his back to a free blitzer on Lock’s fumble, letting him right through the A-gap. A key mistake but Cushenberry played a very clean game otherwise.

Netane Muti: A-

Muti was a bit slow-moving on a pull block to pick up a blitzer early but he picked it up and eventually led the way as a run blocker on some impressive pull blocks. He was sharp in pass protection and created push for the run game in a very promising debut where he absolutely looked the part.

Elijah Wilkinson: B-

Wilkinson didn’t have the flashes that his linemates had but he also played a fairly clean game outside of a run stop allowed. Denver’s scheme helped him a lot with extra protection but Wilkinson still was a positive contributor on the day.

Jerry Jeudy: B-

Jeudy’s big highlight was a double move that got Denver’s big-play offense going as he undressed a poor Panthers cornerback for 31 yards. He also showed great hustle fighting to tackle a defender and prevent a defensive touchdown on the fumble return. Outside of those two plays he wasn’t otherworldy and had a throw go through his hands that he should’ve probably hauled in.

Tim Patrick: B

Patrick drew an early holding penalty to convert 3rd-and-6 and had his moments wiggling open with a touchdown on the day.

Nick Vannett: B

Vannett really stood out as a blocker, sealing off the edge and doing a nice job in pass protection on plenty of max protection looks. He was also featured more in the passing game and showed himself to be a reliable underneath target. He didn’t always strive as a run blocker in the second half, getting overpowered on a tackle for a loss and a run stop but still played well.

Phillip Lindsay: C

Lindsay did his best work as a blocker, picking up some key blitzes in pass protection. As a playmaker, we didn’t see much from him as he wasn’t breaking or missing tackles.

Melvin Gordon: B

Gordon has done a good job of getting downhill and showing nice vision running behind his blocks. At 5.2 yards a clip he had a nice impact despite just 13 rushing attempts and was also a nice check down option for Lock in the passing game.

Other noteworthy defensive performances

DaeSean Hamilton did a nice job working through zone coverage and finding a hole for a big 13-yard gain to get Denver’s offense going early.

Troy Fumagalli created lots of YAC opportunities for himself, playing well as an H-back out the backfield though he was far from perfect as a blocker.

Special Teams: A 

Diontae Spencer had a beautiful double juke to spring free for a game-breaking punt return TD, the kind of play Denver’s been desperate to get from its special teams unit all year.

Unfortunately, Brandon McManus did not look like himself missing his first two PAT attempts but special teams still did much more good than bad in this one.

Coaching: A

Pat Shurmur deserves the lead here, as he was able to keep the offense on schedule limiting third downs and was able to cater his game plan to the inexperience on his offensive line. The play-action bootleg game worked really well as did more max protection passes out of obvious run formations.

Shurmur’s aggressive up-tempo approach with four minutes left while up 25-20, getting a big play TD, was a beauty to see.

Vic Fangio‘s defensive plan was dictated from the early lead, the defense allowed more points late than it should have but in a “bend don’t break” approach fared well enough.