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.

As the Broncos seemed dead in the water, on the road in Pittsburgh, and without their starting quarterback, a banged-up bunch rallied back from an early 14 point deficit to make things interesting on Sunday.

Despite missing Drew Lock, Phillip Lindsay, Courtland Sutton and A.J. Bouye, Denver outscored Pittsburgh 18-9 over the final 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the rally was just not enough — as the Steelers managed to escape with a narrow victory over the ailing Broncos.

As always, here’s the good, bad, and the ugly from a frustrating 26-21 defeat.

Standouts from the game

Justin Simmons: A+

Simmons was everywhere on Sunday. Whether it was swatting balls at the line on key third-down blitzes, coming up to make tackles against the run, playing instinctual coverage on the back end, or coming down with a key one-handed interception — there really wasn’t an area of the game where Simmons did not make an impact.

Simply put, when the team needed it most, their defensive leader stood up and made plays.  Simmons led the Broncos with seven solo tackles (8 total) and limited opposing receivers to four receptions on six targets for a total of 36 yards.

Noah Fant: A

Denver’s 2019 first-round selection could not be covered by Devin Bush as he proved to be too fluid and too big for the former Michigan standout to contain.

After yet another stellar performance, Fant is starting to reach the point where something special happens every time he touches the ball. Between his ability to make tough grabs, and a devastating combination of size and athleticism after the catch, Fant is proving to be a game-changer for the offense.

Shelby Harris: B+

Harris, again, was a standout for the Broncos. He was phenomenal against the run, creating consistent penetration up the middle and playing a huge part in the Steelers only having 42 rushing yards prior to their final drive.

Harris also forced a game-breaking fumble on Bennie Snell to help swing momentum back in Denver’s favor right as they seemed doomed. He embodies Denver’s never-say-die attitude as well as anyone.

K.J. Hamler: B

In his debut as a pro, Hamler got open with ease, creating big windows of separation and flashing intriguing talent.

On multiple instances, Hamler displayed the ability to make mid-air adjustments on the ball and extend away from his frame. Lethal in one-on-one situations, Hamler put veteran cornerback Joe Haden on skates with an out-route for an easy 1st-and-20 conversion.

For a player that is listed at 5-foot-9, Hamler certainly played bigger than his frame.

Defense

Mike Purcell: B

Much like Shelby Harris, Purcell played a big role in nullifying the Steelers run game and getting the team’s lone sack. It was a solid effort from the big man overall.

Jurell Casey: B-

Casey didn’t have a massive impact as a pass rusher. Really, he let rookie right guard Kevin Dotson off the hook by not creating a single pressure in the loss. He did play well defending the run though. And he had another big deflection at the line to boot.

Bradley Chubb: C+

When moved to the strong side, Chubb made some nice plays against the run, creating a tackle for a loss and run stuff. That said, his impact as a pass rusher was still severely limited. And without Von Miller on the field, Chubb’s quite performance stood out that much more.

Alexander Johnson: C-

Johnson was a steady, if unspectacular, force in the middle of the Broncos defense — not having the usual splash plays, blitzing the QB up the middle or thumping against the run.

His biggest play actually came as he was too slow in pursuit on the game-ending 59-yard run by James Conner. Johnson couldn’t bring the runner down at the sticks, allowing Conner to hit the open field, and essentially ending the game.

Josey Jewell: B

Don’t look now but two games into being a full-time starter, Jewell has played all but four defensive snaps and has been incredibly reliable in all phases of the game.

Jeremiah Attaochu: C-

Attaochu did a good job setting the edge against the run and not getting beat when dropped in coverage. Where his impact was lacking was as a pass rusher — with no play standing out more than his critical error trying to turn the corner on backup right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor. Attaochu was immediately blocked into the ground and out the play as Big Ben got outside and threw a deep bomb for a TD.

Bryce Callahan: B

Callahan played well, keeping everything in front of him in coverage and tackling flawlessly in space, while also contributing as a run defender. As the No. 1 cornerback against a stacked wide receiver group, he conceded 36 receiving yards on six catches.

Michael Ojemudia: F

Full disclosure, Ojemudia looks good — as good as any rookie cornerback since Chris Harris Jr. He battles hard, competes and he has all the raw talent and instincts to succeed. However, grades aren’t based on promise, they’re based on making contributions to winning or losing, and unfortunately, Ojemudia was involved in every big play Pittsburgh had on offense.

From dropping an interception to being on the wrong end of both aerial touchdowns, it just wasn’t his day.

Kareem Jackson: B

Jackson played well in the game. He was physical in coverage and only allowed two receptions on three targets for a total of nine yards.

Other noteworthy defensive performances

Essang Bassey got blocked out on the key JuJu 18-yard screen on 3rd-and-10 down in the red zone. He struggled to make plays or process information quickly when used close to the line of scrimmage.

Offense

Garett Bolles: B+

Bolles had his best game yet as a run blocker, sealing the edge and getting to the second level with ease to bully smaller defenders. Maybe more noteworthy, in pass protection he held his own against Bud Dupree, even despite the switch at quarterback.

He was called for a hold while run blocking at the second level. However, it was on a borderline flag where his hands got out of the frame. The call was far from egregious.

It was obviously disappointing for the offense to come up short but it was undoubtedly one of Bolles’ best performances from start to finish.

Dalton Risner: C-

Risner set the tone with Bolles early as a run blocker. But with the tough task of squaring off against Pittsburgh’s powerful front three, Risner definitely looked like a second-year pro, conceding two run stops and two more tackles for a loss in the game.

Lloyd Cushenberry III: D+

Cushenberry had some great moments as a run blocker, and didn’t have a single errant snap despite playing with two different quarterbacks in what was only his his second pro start.

He also had some major struggles, though, as Tyson Alualu gave him lots of issues, forcing two sacks (one a half-sack), and swatting a pass at the line after pushing Cushenberry back.

Graham Glasgow: B

Glasgow was beaten on an inside move, forcing a QB hit — and he did not really stand out individually run blocking like others — but he was the most consistent, solid performer on the line, playing a clean game in all phases of the game.

Elijah Wilkinson: F

Wilkinson was dominated consistently by T.J. Watt — forcing the Drew Lock injury, and allowing two other sacks as well as a run stop. No matter what Denver tried to do, the pressure coming off the strong side was a constant all game.

Jerry Jeudy: B-

Jeudy drew penalties and made some critical grabs for Denver to stay alive. His toughness was also on display as he was banged up in the process of completing a catch but still managed to return to the game.

Courtland Sutton: D

Sutton made two nice acrobatic grabs in the first half, leading to the two biggest plays for Denver but also had a terrible interception that bounced right off his hands on one of the few truly accurate throws of the day. His loss was a massive blow.

Melvin Gordon: B+

Gordon ran tough, got downhill and came down with a phenomenal over-the-shoulder touchdown grab that had the Broncos truly threatening in the end. His stats might not have been otherwordly but his impact was overwhelmingly positive.

Drew Lock: N/A

Lock started the game off with a back-foot laser to Sutton and didn’t really seem to get settled in after that. In a small sample size, Lock had far too many rushed throws before he was injured and taken out the game.

Jeff Driskel: C-

Driskel played a gutsy game where he had to overcome the pressure Pittsburgh created and still make tough plays to keep Denver’s offense alive. His ball placement was truly inconsistent as he sailed or missed throws most of the day, forcing his wideouts into tough catches.

Ultimately, his struggles reading the blitz pre-snap and not getting the ball out his hands quickly was the Broncos undoing on the games final 4th-and-2. But it was certainly a tough position coming in cold. And Driskel’s showing was admirable considering the circumstances.

Other noteworthy defensive performances

Nick Vannett played an awful game, struggling as a blocker and slipping on one of his few open targets.

Special Teams: F

Special teams is the one unit that can’t blame key injuries as a reason for underperforming. Brandon McManus missed a long field goal, and Sam Martin muffed a punt, giving the Steelers a safety in the process. Throughout the game, the punt coverage team consistently missed tackles as well.

Overall it was an unacceptable showing from a unit that had to be perfect for the offense and defense to maximize their potential.

Coaching: B

The Broncos coaching staff was able to maximize the performance of a group that’s so severely depleted by injuries at this moment that it’s hard to even imagine how they came back from down 17-3 to make this a truly competitive outcome.

Vic Fangio’s defense was sound and had to mix things up dropping eight in coverage or blitzing five or six to keep Roethlisberger moving in the pocket. If not for some mistakes on offense and special teams the defense could’ve kept the Steelers under 21 points.

Pat Shurmur really took advantage of his young playmakers moving them around the formation and picking favorable matchups. Down two touchdowns with a backup quarterback, he was still able to strike the right balance and adjust mid-game. His early tenure as a playcaller has been extremely encouraging.