Broncos Secondary Grades from Win Over Tampa Bay

The Denver Broncos have the best secondary in the NFL and carry the moniker “No Fly Zone”. They have shut down multiple premier quarterbacks by holding them to just over, or under 200 yards. They did the same against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so how did they grade out?

The Denver Broncos secondary had their work cut out for them for the fourth consecutive week. They started by shutting down Cam Newton, then followed that up with shutting down Andrew Luck and Andy Dalton. Next up was Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Going into this game, Winston was averaging 309.67 yards passing per game. He had thrown for eight touchdowns to six interceptions, which was two interceptions per game. What hurt Winston was a four interception game in a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. He also had been sacks only five times at this point.

Then the Denver Broncos came to town. They held Winston to 179 yards, no touchdowns and picked him off twice, both from one player. Those few yards dropped his average from 309.67 yards to 277 yards. Once again, the Broncos secondary shut down a good quarterback.

In the secondary, Justin Simmons, Kayvon Webster and Shiloh Keo don’t earn a grade. None of them saw more than ten snaps on defense. This makes three corners and three safeties to earn a grade.

Broncos Starting Corners

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Both starting corner backs played and outstanding game and one of them netted to two interceptions. Chris Harris was his usual, outstanding self. His coverage is so strong, and he helps out the run so much. He earned a 93.8 grade on the game, and saw his performance overshadowed by his counterpart.

Formerly a draft pick of the Buccaneers, Aqib Talib was outstanding. He allowed only one catch to the Buccaneers, but had two catches himself. It was his first multiple interception game in over three years, and he made his first team pay for giving him up.

Four targets, one catch, two interceptions. That is a dream game for many corner backs in the NFL and Talib made it happen. He is a play-maker in the secondary and has shown his value so far this season. Talib earned a perfect 100.0 grade on the game.

Broncos Starting Safeties

For the third consecutive game, free safety Darian Stewart played every defensive snap. His play has made it nearly impossible for Denver to let him walk after this season. Stewart has become a star with his play in coverage and against the run.

Broncos Secondary Backups

The Broncos often use a third corner and third safety. Bradley Roby is their third corner and has developed into good starter, which would have him start on nearly every other team in the NFL. Roby played a season high 67.6% of the snaps on defense, and played really well.

After this season the Broncos have some serious questions with their corner backs. The development of Bradley Roby can make those even easier. For some good play against the Buccaneers, Roby earned a 88.3 grade on the game.

As for their third safety, they turned to rookie Will Parks for the second week in a row. Parks is taking advantage of the injury to Justin Simmons by playing some excellent football. If Parks continues to develop, it could give Denver options with their safeties after this season. Parks earned a 93.9 grade.

Next: Broncos Linebacker Grades From Win Over Tampa Bay

That wraps up the grades for the game against the Buccaneers. Next up the Denver Broncos take on the high-flying Atlanta Falcons, who are winning behind their great offense. This defense has their work cut out for them, especially this secondary.

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