Throughout the entire 2019-20 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 maybe the toughest loss of the season, the Broncos couldn’t close it out in Indianapolis, falling 15-13 to the Colts despite a premier defensive showing.

Here’s what stood out, good, bad, and everything in between.

Standouts from the game

Von Miller: A

Imagine if Von had sacked Jacoby Birsett in the Colts’ final drive, ending the game with a massive safety. How much would we be waxing poetic about him today?

Alas, Brissett escaped, and the Colts won, but Miller was none the less dominant against the run and pass with 1.5 sacks, three TFLs, two-run stuffs, and 3.5 quarterback hurries.

Courtland Sutton: A-

No. 14 took rookie cornerback Rock Ya-Sin to school, as the youngster simply could not handle Sutton, who made nice adjustments to the ball and was physically imposing. He would’ve had an even bigger day if the penalty yardage he drew was counted toward his receiving—or, if the Broncos kept throwing to him. 

Derek Wolfe: A

Wolfe had a great game rushing the passer with two sacks, two more quarterback hurries, and as many QB hits, including a huge strip-sack that put his non-stop motor on full display. 

As Denver tries to identify who to keep for the rebuild, Wolfe’s energy and commitment have stood out in a big way.

Garett Bolles: D-

Sure, Bolles was overpowered on a sack, but maybe more important were the two key pressures he allowed down on the goal line forcing the offense to settle for three points. Beyond his blunders in pass pro, No. 72 was guilty of not getting to the second level quickly enough, resulting in a run stop and got beat to his spot while getting out to block on a screen.

He’s seemingly lost the athleticism that made him so appealing to start with, a major red flag.

Defense

Mike Purcell: C-

With a lot of four-person fronts, Purcell only saw the field sporadically and didn’t always stand out against the run, though he got a TFL. His costly roughing the passer penalty stained his performance.

Shelby Harris: B

Harris had his high-end flashes with a run stuff, a tackle for a loss, and a big pass deflection. He wasn’t always consistent but had a solid impact overall.

Alexander Johnson: B

Johnson was impressive, impacting the game as a blitzer giving Quenton Nelson a run for his money, playing well in coverage, and even forcing a fumble. He had his bumps in the road with a bad angle here and a dubious horse-collar penalty but still accomplished more good than bad.

Todd Davis: B

Davis did a nice job coming on blitzes and forcing Brissett off his spots. He was targeted early on in coverage and did a good job of playing smart and tackling effectively in space. 

Malik Reed: C+

Even if the production was missing, Reed did the dirty work by not getting exploited against the run and forcing left tackle Anthony Costanzo in some uncharacteristic penalties. He even recovered a fumble.

Chris Harris Jr.: B-

It was a cruel outing for Harris who shut T.Y. Hilton down for most of the game only to get beat on a scramble drill on the biggest pass of the game.

Justin Simmons: B

Simmons had one of his few mishaps this season, losing tight end Jack Doyle in coverage for a 19-yard gain. He was reliable otherwise, despite a lack of big plays.  

Kareem Jackson: C+

Rarely tested in coverage, Jackson came downhill to help gang tackle in space in what was a quiet game for his standards.

Davontae Harris: B+

With Harris Jr. handling Hilton, the other Harris was only tested three times allowing three grabs for 15 yards. A quiet but impressive showing.

Other noteworthy defensive performances

DeMarcus Walker played stout run defense against Nelson early though the Colts guard did get him back on Indy’s lone touchdown.

Duke Dawson Jr. was strong in coverage and had a nice hurry on a nickel blitz but was flagged for a hold in coverage. 

Cody Sensabaugh was targeted twice and didn’t allow a reception, though he was flagged for pass interference. 

Offense

Dalton Risner: B

Risner showed off his prowess run blocking on the move, with a few marvelous pull blocks, but he was still far from perfect inline, allowing a run stop and a TFL. He showed heart closing the game out with a huge wrap on his ankle.

Connor McGovern: B

McGovern played a clean game with his only blip coming on Denver’s second0-to-last play, allowing a QB hit.

Ron Leary: B

Leary looked a bit shaky early, getting beat for a TFL and a run stop but got going after that, tossing his body around as a run blocker while pass blocking effectively.

Elijah Wilkinson: B+

Ja’Wuan James started the game and looked flawless in just over a quarter of play before being sidelined, again. Wilkinson played well in relief, moving smoothly to block on screens or at the second level and playing a clean game in pass protection. 

His only mishap came as he allowed Ben Banogu to get under his pads and get his hands in Flacco’s face resulting in a pass deflection. 

Noah Fant: D+

Targeted a career-high eight times, Fant ended the day with a modest 26 receiving yards and one errant block which lead to a run stuff. So while it felt like a step in the right direction, he still has a ways to go.

Fred Brown: D

Playing a healthy amount of the offensive snaps, Brown tried working the sideline but only came down with one reception on the day and an illegal shift penalty.

Royce Freeman: C-

Freeman had a few nice runs downhill, but his 3rd-and-short drop when he had room to run capped his performance. You have to capitalize on your opportunities, and Freeman missed a big one.

Phillip Lindsay: C

Lindsay showed the burst and made a few nice moves to miss tackles and grind out extra yards but just couldn’t break a big one.

Joe Flacco: C-

Flacco handled pressure better, moving his feet well and scrambling when needed. He played fairly conservative and took what the defense gave him, while the usual struggles in the red zone and on third down persisted. He wasn’t the reason the Broncos should’ve won and wasn’t the reason they lost. 

Other noteworthy offensive performances

Diontae Spencer got a few targets early and almost broke a big one.

Andy Janovich got two unimpressive targets but hurt the offense with a holding penalty. 

Special Teams: C+

Brandon McManus took care of business while Colby Wadman‘s average wasn’t great, and there weren’t any noteworthy returns. Joe Jones almost blocked Adam Vinitari’s first field goal attempt and definitely impacted the miss as the Broncos unit outplayed the Colts’.

Coaching: C+

Vic Fangio and the staff had their faults, as their overly conservative approach eventually caught up to them, but aside form mismanaging the end of the game, their game plan worked. As Fangio’s defense played lights out, manufacturing pressure with nice blitzes and covering up their inexperienced defensive backfield. 

Rich Scangarello is the one who’ll get most of the criticism due to his bland playcalling. It’s easy to point the finger as the talent just isn’t there, but Scangs has to figure something out to allow his few playmakers to shine.