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The ‘long bright spot offensively’ for the Denver Broncos last week according to Pro Football Focus was rookie left tackle Garett Bolles. Outside of a holding penalty, he dominated his pass blocking assignments.
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He has been dominant in the run game, so to have him do better against the pass is a solid step in the right direction for Bolles. As a rookie, he has been one of the more pleasant surprises to fans - many of whom questioned the pick on draft day.
Unfortunately, his great game against the New York Giants did little to help Trevor Siemian, who posted another very low PFF grade.
QB TREVOR SIEMIAN, 51.1 OVERALL GRADE
If there was one word to describe Siemian’s performance it would be “erratic.” Even when he was putting balls on the money, they were often thrown into incredibly tight coverage that never should have been targeted in the first place. He only completed 6 of his 15 targets 10+ yards down the field
He is ranked the 26th best quarterback in the league by PFF’s own ranking measure. That needs to change. Through five games Siemian has posted grades of 76.7, 65.1, 48.0, 79.6, and now 51.1.
Enough with the offense. PFF gave their highest individual Broncos grade to the old man on defense - Domata Peko. He is enjoying a fountain of youth rebirth in this defense and it’s been fun to watch.
DL DOMATA PEKO, 85.9 OVERALL GRADE
Peko has really looked like a different player since leaving Cincinnati. Typically a liability in the run game in the past, Peko has been considerably more disruptive, forcing runners away from the intended point of attack and clogging up running lanes. He finished the game with three run stops of his own.
Despite the Broncos being gashed for some big runs, PFF could not pin any of the breakdowns in run defense on Peko’s assignments. The Broncos will likely get the run defense issue cleaned up fairly quickly.
Some positives, some negative from PFF, but this team isn’t done by a long shot. There is a lot of talent on defense and it’s going to come down to Mike McCoy’s ability to overcome the passing inconsistencies from Siemian.