Broncos Grades for Defensive Line From Road Victory

The Denver Broncos went into Paul Brown Stadium and beat the Cincinnati Bengals in their own home. Their defensive line showed up when they were really needed, but it was a roller coaster game for the unit.

To start the game, it looked like the Denver Broncos defensive line was going to lose this game. They were getting outmatched in the running game, which enabled the Cincinnati Bengals to run all over the defense. They didn’t have to pass much, which took away the Broncos pass rushers and secondary.

Run after run the Bengals were opening holes in the running game. There was little the Broncos defensive line could do. The traps and pulls of the Bengals offensive line was executed perfectly, and the Broncos couldn’t answer.

Eventually, they made adjustments and were able to slow down the running game. Once this was done, they were able to tee off against the pass. The defensive line got some push and created a little pressure, but never got the job down on their own. So how did they do in the grades department?

First off, neither Adam Gotsis or Darius Kilgo receive a grade as they played less than ten snaps. However, both players made a couple of big plays on the game. They flashed their potential, but both need to get consistent when they do get their chances.

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The star defensive end, Derek Wolfe, didn’t have the best game. It was clear that the Bengals made him a focus point to take him out of the run game. Wolfe found himself taking double teams, and even triple teams on a few occasions. Despite that, he made a few plays in the running game.

Derek Wolfe wasn’t able to be as disruptive as he can be in both the run game and passing game. When the defense made some adjustments, Derek Wolfe stepped up and became more of a force in the running game. He didn’t always make the play, but he clogged the lanes. His pass rush was non-existent. His grade: 76.1.

On the opposite side of Derek Wolfe was Jared Crick. The Bengals targeted Crick in the run game and ran to his side often. The success they had wasn’t always because of Crick failing to do his job. It was made clear that while Crick does have talent, he isn’t a full-time starter in the NFL.

Crick can make some plays here and there, and he did against the Bengals, but he can’t do it consistently. He does his job well the majority of the time, and is a pretty disciplined player. He earned a 69.7 grade, which rose due to his play later in the game.