Broncos Quarterback Grade from Victory over the Colts

The Denver Broncos beat the Indianapolis Colts in a close game until the final minutes and thanks to the defense. Offensively, the running game really carried the offense and the quarterback made throws when they were needed. So how well did the quarterback grade out?

When taking on the Indianapolis Colts, you have to be weary of their quarterback Andrew Luck. He made some big plays, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the stifling Denver Broncos defense. On the other side of things, the Colts defense had their fair share of struggles against the Broncos offense.

With the injuries to the Colts secondary, the Broncos quarterback should have been able to really move the ball through the air. For the most part, he and the offense did move the ball well in the first half through the air.

However, the box score stats don’t properly show how good, or bad, the players played. These grades are handed out to really show just how well someone played. As always, the quarterback will be the first one to get graded.

This is just the second game of the season, but there has been some consistency in the play from quarterback.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian

In his first game as starter, Trevor Siemian played poorly and received a measly 39.7 grade. That came against the tough Carolina Panthers defense, who also were the defending NFC champions. There were many mistakes in that game that fans tried to write off as young mistakes, or being inexperienced. So did he improve in game two?

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To put it bluntly, not really. Once again there were many big mistakes from Siemian, and mistakes that have followed Siemian from college. He was taking on a Colts defense that has been hindered by injuries, especially to the secondary. His game should have been better, especially with how many of those around him played.

The first big mistake came on a pass to Demaryius Thomas. Thomas had a step on the defensive back, and just needed a pass leading him. That would have been a perfectly placed pass and gone for a long touchdown strike. To catch it, Thomas wouldn’t have had to slow down or adjust to make the catch and that step on the defender would have grown.

All good right? Well that isn’t what happened. Instead, Siemian tossed the ball right on the sideline. Had Thomas caught it, he would’ve gone out-of-bounds with not potential after the catch. No big deal right? Well when the game was close, a long touchdown to Thomas could have been a big morale boost.

Another issue with that play is that it wasn’t the only instance of Siemian failing to lead his receivers. To successfully execute a slant route properly, the quarterback should lead his receiver. That is unless the coverage calls for something different. Well, the Colts coverage never made it so Siemian couldn’t lead his receivers, but he didn’t do it anyways.

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There were only two passes from Siemian where he should have led his receivers and actually executed on it. On the other hand, there were plenty of other occasions where Siemian should have led the receiver and didn’t. Fortunately for Siemian, he had receivers who bailed him out and made the catch.

The second big mistake from Siemian was his third interception in two games. Where Siemian was going with the ball was telegraphed before the snap was even made. A defensive back for the Colts read it, jumped the route after the snap and picked it off. It should have been a pick six for the Colts, but the defender pulled up from a hamstring injury.

This interception came on what was supposed to be a screen pass, which is supposed to be one of the safest throws a quarterback can make. Siemian has thrown two interception on attempted screen passes and both of them were failures to adjust pre and post snap from Siemian.

Listing the mistakes from Siemian from this game can go on and on. There were many of them and the box score doesn’t reflect that. His completions get fabricated with easy passes and most of his yards come after the catch. It is lucky that Siemian has such a talented group of receivers who can gain big yards after the catch. If he didn’t Siemian probably wouldn’t ever break 150 yards a game.

To back that statement up, Siemian has one of the lowest ball in air yards stats in the NFL. He throws quick easy strikes (fabricated completions), for mostly under ten yards. Very rarely does Siemian attempt a pass farther than the first down marker. This hurt the offense against the Colts and will hurt them as the season goes on.

The game from Siemian was slightly better than the Panthers game, but only ever so slightly. He improved from that 39.7 grade to a 40.5 grade. His play will have to improve, and cut down on the mistakes. The Broncos have a first round quarterback waiting in the wings, but as long as they keep winning they might be hesitant to pull the trigger on a switch.

Next: Broncos Miller Dominate as Broncos Beat the Colts

Next up will be the running backs and offensive linemen. They played a huge part in the win, so just how did they grade out? Stay tuned.