Here’s a look at whose stock improved or declined after the Broncos’ 28-14 win over the Panthers on Sunday.
Stock Up
Red-zone offense: Broncos kicker Wil Lutz didn’t attempt a field goal — and that was a good thing. Denver scored four touchdowns on five red-zone trips. Quarterback Bo Nix was responsible for each touchdown, throwing for three and scoring on a keeper in the second quarter. Denver has gone 6 for 8 in the red zone over the last two games after going 1 for 3 in those situations against the Chargers in Week 6.
Playoff hopes: Through eight weeks, the Broncos are in the playoff picture. Who would’ve thought that during training camp or when the team dropped to 0-2 to start the year? But that’s the reality Denver is currently living in. At 5-3, the Broncos are a fifth seed and hold the top wild-card spot. They have a 65% chance of making the postseason, according to NFL.com. The next three weeks will be a major test for the Broncos. They have back-to-back road matchups against the Ravens and Chiefs before returning home to face the Falcons.
Intermediate passing game: Nix was aggressive but effective when it came to throwing the ball down the field. He was 6 for 10 for 138 yards with a passer rating of 104.2 on intermediate throws (passes 10-19 yards downfield) against the Panthers, according to Next Gen Stats. For the most part, Nix has had success in the short and screen game but was inconsistent whenever he was asked to throw outside the line of scrimmage. Before Sunday, Nix had 285 passing yards, a touchdown and three interceptions on intermediate throws. Even though Nix was eighth in attempts (50), he had the worst completion percentage (32.0%) and was 30th in passer rating (47.5).
CB Pat Surtain II: A cornerback hasn’t won the Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award since Stephon Gilmore in 2019. Surtain looks to change that. The 24-year-old recorded his third interception of the season during the third quarter when Panthers quarterback Bryce Young missed his intended target and the ball fell in Surtain’s hands. He is one interception away from tying his career-best of four in a season. Surtain has given up 12 catches for 114 receiving yards on 18 targets in seven games.
Stock Down
Ball security: Denver’s turnovers might have taken some of the joy out of its fifth win of the season. The Broncos fumbled the ball twice against the Panthers and head coach Sean Payton wasn’t happy. Wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey fumbled the ball near midfield during Denver’s first drive. In the fourth quarter, Courtland Sutton lost the ball while trying to cross the goal line and ruined the team’s chance to run up the score. Denver has fumbled in three straight games and is tied with the Raiders for the most fumbles lost (seven). The Broncos are tied for fifth in turnovers with 12. Denver must improve on its ball security if it wants to be considered a legit playoff contender.
CB Riley Moss: Young threw in Surtain’s direction only twice, so Moss received the bulk of targets on Sunday. Denver’s second-year cornerback was targeted eight times, allowing seven catches for 94 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 155.2. Moss’ production has gone down in recent weeks, giving up 17 catches for 235 yards in the last three games.
Nix-Franklin deep-ball connection: At some point, we will see Nix and rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin on those vertical plays. On third-and-2 in the third quarter, Nix threw a deep pass near the sideline where the ball slipped through the outstretched arms of Franklin. A similar situation happened in Denver’s win over the Raiders when the former Oregon wideout couldn’t secure a touchdown catch despite being wide open.
OLB Baron Browning: Denver outside linebacker Baron Browning has struggled to make an impact since returning from injury. Browning had a tackle and two pressures in 64 defensive snaps in the last two games. After Browning didn’t record a single tackle against the Saints, he had one stop in the win over Carolina. Browning was effective in the season opener, totaling five tackles and five pressures. It might take time to get back in a groove after four straight games. But it’s worth monitoring his production moving forward.
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