Broncos Defensive Line Grades from Victory over Colts

A big reason for the success of the Denver Broncos defense against the Indianapolis Colts was the big men up front. The defensive line did their job and executed their assignments excellently. Just how well did they actually grade out?

Even though the secondary and linebackers on the Denver Broncos defense played great, it all started up front. The defensive line executed to near perfection, which enabled the rest of the defense to do their jobs. Defensively, if all three levels are working it can be a thing of beauty and that was the case in this victory.

Of course it all starts upfront. If you see that the linebackers are struggling against the run, or the secondary in coverage most of the time you will see that the defensive line is struggling as well. It is a domino effect a lot of the time.

On the defensive line, there will be five players graded. There was a sixth one who saw the field in Darius Kilgo, but he only saw seven snaps. Kilgo made some plays that had a huge impact, especially one that stopped the ball carrier short of his target. Kilgo beat his blocker and blew the play up behind the line of scrimmage.

Starting nose tackle Sylvester Williams made his presence felt rushing the passer. He was consistently able to push the pocket and keep Andrew Luck from stepping up. As for the run game, Williams did a great job clogging the running lanes, but also got controlled to open some running lanes.

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When defending the point of attack, Williams can stand to be more heavy footed and stronger. Too often he is getting moved out-of-the-way by the opposing center. If he can improve there then he can force opponents to double team him more often. This would open up his teammates. His play was rather balanced and landed him a 75.8 grade.

As for the Broncos best defensive linemen Derek Wolfe, he was fantastic. His run defense was stout, even when taking on double teams. Very rarely was he pushed off the line of scrimmage, or moved out-of-the-way to open up holes. Discipline is the name of Wolfe’s game, and it is such a beauty to watch.

Wolfe also is still showing he can add something to the pass rush and was harassing Andrew Luck for most of the game. Pressure was consistently there, and Wolfe even added 1.5 sacks on the game. In the end, Wolfe ended up with one of the highest grades not just on the defense, but for the whole team with a 99.3.