Denver Broncos Game Grades: Bo Nix shines again in 27-2 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers

The Denver Broncos played their second game of the preseason on Sunday, and they notched their second win.

The Broncos hosted the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field and beat them 27-2. However, the Packers didn’t play any of their starters, which gave the Broncos a favorable matchup.

Here’s how the offense graded out…

Quarterbacks

Bo Nix: A

After a stellar performance in Week 1 of the preseason, Nix was even better in Week 2.

Nix completed eight of his nine pass attempts for 80 yards. He threw a short touchdown to Tim Patrick with a defender in his face. He picked up 12 yards on his three rush attempts.

Nix was more accurate than his first performance, but he was equally as creative. He cleaned up his footwork. He hardly made any mistakes.

The only major mistake was when he drew an illegal forward pass penalty when he stepped across the line of scrimmage before throwing a touchdown pass. The talent he showed on the play is promising, but the penalty prevents an A+ grade.

Jarrett Stidham: C

Once again, Stidham didn’t get much help from his teammates.

A 19-yard completion was negated by a chop block. A 3rd & 1 throw to Audric Estime fell incomplete because the rookie didn’t sit down in the space at the sticks. He was unlucky when he was pressured and his pass bounced off of a defender’s helmet and was intercepted.

Stidham finished seven-for-11 for 65 yards.

Zach Wilson: D

Wilson was sharp in Week 1, but he struggled in Week 2.

He hit two passes. One was to Michael Bandy over the middle for a 22-yard catch-and-run. The other was a screen pass to Tyler Badie that went for a touchdown.

Wilson could have had another completion on an RPO, but he held the ball too long, which created an ineligible man downfield penalty.

Wilson missed Bandy on a drag that would have gone for a touchdown. He didn’t see open receivers. He was called for a safety after his protection broke down, but I thought he could have thrown the ball away.

Running Backs

Javonte Williams: A-

Williams picked up 17 yards on his three carries. He took a screen for 15 yards. He had a great cut block on the first third down that allowed the quarterback to get the ball off.

Jaleel McLaughlin: B

McLaughlin hit holes hard and kept the offense on schedule. Like last week, I wasn’t convinced that he always hit the right hole, but I don’t know how he’s coached to make reads. His three carries garnered 17 yards.

Audric Estime: D+

Two plays hurt Estime’s grade. First, he kept running upfield on a 3rd & 1 when his quarterback expected him to sit in space at the sticks. The second was when he was called for a chop block, which negated a 19-yard completion.

Outside of those two plays, Estime was solid. He picked up 14 yards on four carries. He caught a check-down and picked up seven yards.

Samaje Perine: D+

The veteran didn’t help his case to make the team. He carried the ball five times but only managed 16 yards. He didn’t look like he had much juice. To be fair, his game isn’t based on juice.

Tyler Badie: A

Don’t look now, but Badie might be having the best preseason of any Broncos running back.

The 24-year-old broke open a 27-yard run on Sunday, which was unfortunately called back for holding. Later on, he caught a screen pass and took it to the end zone for a score.

Blake Watson: C-

The undrafted free agent out of Memphis didn’t provide much pop on Sunday. His highlight was a nine-yard run, but he finished with 20 yards on six carries.

Wide Receivers

Courtland Sutton: B+

Sutton’s best plays came on back-to-back snaps. First, he pancaked a defender to lead Bo Nix for a 10-yard run. Then he caught a 23-yard dig that brought the Broncos within five yards of the end zone.

Tim Patrick: A+

Patrick ran nine routes. He caught four balls for 30 yards and a touchdown. The efficiency is remarkable.

Patrick made his presence felt in the shallow parts of the field. He felt out the gaps in zone coverage well. He got to his spot quickly so the quarterback could throw the ball before the defense had a chance to react.

Josh Reynolds: C-

With the Broncos’ other starting receivers making their presence felt, Reynolds got the short end of the stick. He didn’t catch a pass. He wasn’t even targeted. But since he only ran seven routes, I’m not concerned.

Marvin Mims Jr.: D+

Like Reynolds, Mims didn’t get many opportunities. He ran 10 routes and his only target fell incomplete.

Lil’Jordan Humphrey: B

In the third quarter, Humphrey converted a 3rd & 10 with a 20-yard dig. We’ve seen him dominate the middle of the field 10-20 yards downfield during training camp, and he translated that to the game.

Jalen Virgil: B-

Virgil’s only catch was negated by an ineligible man downfield penalty. He only ran four routes, so his lack of a coach doesn’t hurt him. His special teams showing, like when he was the first down the field on a punt, bump his grade.

Brandon Johnson: C-

Johnson couldn’t bring in a slant route. He almost made up for it on the next play when he was wide open on a drag route for an easy 3rd & 8 conversion, but Zach Wilson wasn’t able to get him the ball.

Michael Bandy: A-

Bandy’s big play was a 22-yard catch-and-run, but he nearly had a touchdown. He was open on a drag route near the end zone but Zach Wilson missed the throw.

David Sills: D

Sills didn’t get a target on Sunday. He also missed a block that shortened a run.

Troy Franklin: D

Only David Sills ran more routes than Franklin, but Franklin didn’t receive a target.

Tight Ends

Greg Dulcich: B+

Dulcich’s night got off to a slow start when he was beaten in pass protection. Luckily, Bo Nix bailed him out and turned the sack into a short gain. Then, on 3rd & 17, Dulcich caught a ball in the flat, made a defender miss and powered through another at the sticks for a 19-yard gain. He caught another ball later on short of the sticks against zone coverage.

Adam Trautman: B

Trautman put a solid night together. On the second offensive play, he had a nice block at the second level. A play later, he caught an eight-yard pass over the middle to move the sticks.

Lucas Krull: D

Krull is a fighter in the run game, but his technique sometimes holds him back from winning that fight. That was true when he wound up flat on his back on the first play of the Stidham portion of the game. It was true when he was called for holding. Krull’s best play was when he leaked ip the field for 19 yards… but the play was called back for a chop block.

Nate Adkins: B

Adkins didn’t catch a ball, but he was as solid as ever in the running game.

Offensive Linemen

Garett Bolles: B

Bolles had a short but effective night. He didn’t give up a pressure. He was clean in the run game.

Calvin Throckmorton: C-

Throckmorton took the place of an injured Ben Powers. His mobility stood out in the running game and on screens, but he gave up two pressures.

Luke Wattenberg: C

I thought Wattenberg had a better showing in his second outing as the Broncos’ starting center. He had a couple of tough moments, like when he overran a block at the second level near the end of the first drive, but his athleticism showed up at times, too.

Quinn Meinerz: A-

Meinerz was powerful in the run game. He moved his man. He finished his blocks. I didn’t think he was as clean in pass protection, but he didn’t allow a pressure all night.

Mike McGlinchey: B+

McGlinchey is too big and too strong for backup edge rushers. A great example is the second run of the game.

Matt Peart: B+

Not only did Peart play backup left tackle, he picked up some reps at guard, too. He looked good playing inside. His athleticism plays up at guard and helped him on the long Tyler Badie run that was called back.

Alex Palczewski: D

Once again, Palczewski got his reps at guard on top of his tackle responsibilities. I thought he looked great… outside of the penalties. He was called for holding. He was called for a false start that forced a punt. That’s a formula for a bad grade.

Will Sherman: F

Likę Palczewski, Sherman did a lot of things I really liked. He’s grown immensely from last season. He might make the team.

He also gave up the safety. He was pulling to the far side of the formation. The edge defender twisted inside, which changed his assignment on the fly. It’s a tough block to make, but the consequences were huge.

Demontrey Jacobs: B-

Jacobs was awesome in space. He was also called for an ineligible man downfield penalty, but he was doing his job and the quarterback was late getting the ball out.

Alex Forsyth: D

Forsyth couldn’t fulfill a tough assignment on a toss that required more speed than he could offer. He was also called for a holding penalty that negated a 27-yard run from Tyler Badie.

Frank Crum: F

Crum gave up two sacks. He also allowed a pressure on Stidham’s interception that may or may not have altered the throw.