Broncos Secondary Grades from Victory over Colts
The Denver Broncos secondary had their job cut out for them against the Colts passing game. They answered the call, but just how did they grade out?
To help the Denver Broncos beat the Indianapolis Colts, the secondary had to play a great game. Not only did they shut down the passing game of the Colts, they added a touchdown of their own. It isn’t an easy task to shut down the Colts passing game, but with help from the pass rusher, the secondary was able to.
They knew they didn’t have to stick with their man for long because of the pressure the passing game was applying. This really helped them out, because even the best secondaries eventually lose their men in coverage. Not the Broncos did allow yards through the air, but for the second consecutive week held them to under 200 yards.
Allowing less than 200 yards is an impressive feet no matter the quarterback. However, the Broncos defense did this to Cam Newton and Andrew Luck. They are two top-tier quarterbacks in the NFL who are the reason their teams have a good passing attack.
As for the grades, eight defenders saw time on defense for the Broncos secondary. Two of them, Kayvon Webster and Will Parks both saw less than ten snaps and won’t receiver a grade.
The star of the secondary was Aqib Talib. His coverage was great, and he showed exactly what makes him so good. Talib was playing off in coverage and was able to read Luck. As Luck made the throw, Talib jumped, picked it off and returned it for six.
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That was a history making play for Talib and the Broncos. In his time with the Broncos, Talib has had five interceptions returned for a touchdown, which is the most by any Broncos player. It was the ninth of his career, which out him at #4 on the all-time list in some pretty good company.
Another aspect of Talib’s game that is special is his play against the run. Talib is one of the better run defending corners in the NFL. His all-around play earned Talib a 98.7 grade.
The other two corners for Denver, Chris Harris and Bradley Roby also play the run at a high level. To be a Broncos corner, you have to play the run. it is a pedigree set by Champ Bailey who was the best run defending corner in the NFL, ever.
Harris and Roby also played great coverage. There is a reason Harris is a top corner in the NFL. While his play is better when he is covering the slot receiver, Harris can more than hold his own on the outside. Technically sound and fluid sums up Harris and he always shows that on every snap he takes, earning him a 96.9 grade.
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Roby is the worst one of the three Broncos corners, but on almost any other team he would be the best corner. Roby is proof that the Broncos have an embarrassment of riches at corner back. The best thing for Denver is, Roby is still growing. He has the ceiling to be the best corner on the Broncos roster. All Roby has to do is get consistent in coverage and flash that special play more often. His play from the game against the Colts saw Roby land a 95.1 grade.
As for the safeties, the rookie #3 safety Justin Simmons played a good game all while dealing with a hand injury sustained during the game. On the game Simmons added four tackles to go along with hi solid play. His play also made the Broncos comfortable with releasing Shiloh Keo who was on the suspended list. Simmons earned a 80.0 grade on the game.
Free safety Darian Stewart was exceptional and played every snap on defense. Stewart is such a well-rounded safety who can do it all for a defense. When tasked to defend the run, he is quick to the line of scrimmage and in coverage he is tight with his coverage. Exceptional play lands an exceptional grade of 99.2, only a simple penalty kept it from being perfect.
The final player to get graded is safety T.J. Ward. His game wasn’t as good as his counterpart Stewart, but his game was still great. His issues were, and always have been, in coverage. Ward just doesn’t have the speed to stick with some of the quicker and more athletic tight ends.
Where he excels is against the run. Ward can be a one man wrecking crew and wreak havoc at, or behind the line of scrimmage. When Ward can be that disruptive, it helps the defense. That was a big reason for the success against the Colts. In the end, Ward gets a great 92.7 grade.
Next: Broncos Linebacker Grades from Victory over Colts
That ends the grades for the Broncos from their victory over the Colts. How well will they do against the Cincinnati Bengals? Only time will tell.