The Denver Broncos played an ugly game on Sunday, and although past iterations of the mile-high squad would have squandered a golden opportunity for a playoff push, dropped to .500, and allowed melancholy to engulf the Rocky Mountain region.
This team is different though, and they slammed an exclamation point onto the end of that statement with their rousing victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Who were the biggest stars, and the biggest duds from Sunday’s game? Let’s look.
Last Week’s Stock Report
DENVER BRONCOS STOCK UP
Courtland Sutton
When the Denver Broncos decided to cut Russell Wilson, the biggest loser, on paper, seemed to be Courtland Sutton, whose chemistry with the dramatically overpaid and declining signal-caller resulted in a career year, and Sutton becoming one of the league’s most dominant red zone forces.
That outlook only seemed to be cemented when the Broncos drafted Bo Nix — a prospect whose biggest negatives appeared to be an inability to attack downfield and his lack of passing aggression.
Now, Sutton is primed to have a year as good, if not better, than his 2023 campaign, and has formed a remarkably strong bond with his new rookie field general.
Courtland Sutton has 70+ receiving yards in each of his last five games.
— Henry Chisholm (@HenryChisholm) November 25, 2024
The last Bronco to have a five-game streak with 70+ rec yds was Demaryius Thomas in 2014.
This is the 11th such streak in Broncos history.
Sutton recently became the first Broncos receiver since Demaryius Thomas in 2014 to record 70 or more receiving yards in five consecutive games.
Receptions of 20+ yards, 2024 Season:
— Tyler Gorse (@Tyler_Gorse_) November 27, 2024
1. Justin Jefferson (Min.) … 18
2. Darnell Mooney (Atl.) … 16
3. Zay Flowers (Bal.) … 15
4. George Pickens (Pit.) … 14
5. Courtland Sutton (@Broncos) … 13
A.J. Brown (Phi.) … 13
D.K. Metcalf (Sea.) … 13
Sutton has… pic.twitter.com/pwwZjDCeym
On the season, Sutton is on pace to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards and catch seven touchdown passes — two feats he’s eclipsed just once each over his seven-year NFL career. If he achieves both milestones, it will be the first time in his career he’s hit both those marks in the same year.
What made the outing against the Las Vegas Raiders so special though was the nature of the receptions. Both touchdowns were very difficult catches, and an overwhelming majority of his targets seemed to come in high-leverage spots, with the Denver offense in need of a conversion.
Bo Nix throws it up top to Courtland Sutton for the TD!
— NFL (@NFL) November 24, 2024
📺: #DENvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/zxs8nD07Aw
That bond provides Nix a strong foundation to continue to build off of in the coming seasons.
Devaughn Vele
If you can get Sean Payton, of all people, to compare your wide receiver play to that of his beloved Marques Colston, it’s safe to say you’re doing something right.
Devaughn Vele achieved that feat following his latest showing against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Sean Payton on Devaughn Vele:
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 25, 2024
"He reminds me a lot of Marques Colston"
"We’ve gotta continue to find touches for him"
👀👀👀
In a season where the Denver Broncos have been so desperate for pass-catching help, Vele has emerged as an extraordinarily valuable piece the offense can continue to build around for the remainder of his rookie contract.
Vele has snagged 32 catches, totaling 361 yards, 18 first-down conversions, and a touchdown. He ranks fifth among rookie receivers in yards per route run and is the only player among the top six rookies in that category to be selected after the draft’s first 35 picks. The list of the top 10 rookie receivers in yards per route run features just two receivers taken outside the top 50.
Top 6 rookie WRs by yards per route run (min. 25 targets):
— Zach Segars (@Zach_Segars) November 27, 2024
1. Brian Thomas Jr. (WR4)
2. Ladd McConkey (WR9)
3. Malik Nabers (WR2)
4. Keon Coleman (WR8)
5. Devaughn Vele (WR33)
6. Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR1)
Vele also ranks fourth among rookies in receiving EPA, trailing just Ladd McConkey, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr.
On Sunday, Vele had the best game of his young career. Vele hauled in six of his nine targets, notching 80 yards and four first-down conversions on the day. The older Utah product is undoubtedly a key building block moving forward as Denver looks to surround Bo Nix with more talent.
Malcolm Roach
One of the shortcomings of this column this season has been the lack of love for D.J. Jones and Malcolm Roach.
With so many positive narratives and surprising storylines emerging for the Denver Broncos, there hasn’t been enough space in this column to give everyone their just desserts. Thankfully, Roach’s tremendous outing down in Las Vegas provides the perfect platform to right at least one of those wrongs.
Malcolm Roach has been an unsung hero along Denver’s defensive line and a one-man wrecking crew throughout the season.
He was signed for his ability to gobble up blocks and suffocate the opponents’ rushing attack, but he’s also offered the Broncos a surprising amount of pass-rush impact this season.
Among the 69 defensive linemen with at least 140 run defense snaps this season, Roach ranks 12th in run-stop rate and average depth of tackle, operating as an unavoidable black hole in the center of the Broncos’ defensive front.
Roach has also tallied 2.5 sacks on the season. Now, that would be a solid season for any nose tackle, but considering Roach recorded just one sack total over his first four seasons in the league.
Against the Raiders, he was one of the most impactful players on the field yet again.
Malcolm Roach getting busy on the edge. Works the 2 hand swipe into a hook. The big man stays light on his feet and pirouettes inside flawlessly at the top for the sack. pic.twitter.com/MaZVpJfywg
— Tre’Shon (@tre3shon) November 25, 2024
Roach sacked Gardner Minshew and had another play where he swiped out Minshew’s legs as he uncorked a pass, leading to an errant throw on the near-sack. His biggest play of the game though came when he fell on Desmond Ridder’s late fumble, allowing the Denver Broncos to lock up the win.
Wil Lutz
It’s been easy to criticize Wil Lutz over the past 14 months.
Although he was a tremendous upgrade over Brett Maher and Brandon McManus, he didn’t perform like a top-10 kicker, which made the offseason decision to compensate him like one of the league’s best kickers pretty odd.
Despite kicking a mile above sea level for half of his games, Lutz was one of the NFL’s 10 least accurate kickers from 40+ yards out in 2023. Lutz also ranked as the league’s sixth-worst kicker in 2023 according to DVOA, which factors in kicking environment, distance, and weather, along with other variables.
Thankfully, he’s turned over a new leaf in 2024.
This year, he’s the ninth-best kicker according to DVOA, and has been one of the league’s five most accurate kickers from 40+ this season. Inside of 40 yards, he’s even better, as his only miss from short range was the block vs. the Chiefs that wasn’t his fault.
Given his current contract and performance, the Denver Broncos hopefully won’t have to worry about the kicker position for a long time.
DENVER BRONCOS STOCK DOWN
Denver Broncos Secondary
The surprisingly elite season-long performance from the Denver Broncos defense has been driven by two key factors — a relentless pass rush and a trio of elite cornerbacks.
On Sunday, injury removed a crucial Jenga block from the latter of those defensive pillars, and Vance Joseph’s immaculate structure showed signs of fracturing as a result.
Now, fortunately, it seems that Riley Moss avoided a catastrophic injury, and should seemingly return from his MCL ailment in the near future. However, the Broncos will be without Moss for the immediate future, and the defensive drop-off following his exit from the game was scary.
Sean Payton said Riley Moss has MCL, but not serious. Almost returned to game.
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) November 25, 2024
Ja’Quan McMillian and Levi Wallace ultimately combined to allow 6.2 EPA when targeted in coverage. For as amazing as Pat Surtain II played, that more than negated his efforts (-5.5 EPA when targeted in coverage) against the Las Vegas Raiders.
McMillian has been underrated this season, as the elite coverage from Moss and Surtain has forced him to become opponents’ primary victim, through little fault of his own. Nonetheless, he has been a weak link and a limiting factor on this elite defense.
Pro Bowl Riley Moss. pic.twitter.com/f9nztzYNy5
— Frankie Abbott (@FrankiesFilm) November 25, 2024
Replacing Moss with Wallace will amplify that problem exponentially, as demonstrated Sunday, for as long as the second-year Iowa corner remains absent.
Javonte Williams
The last time these two rivals squared off, Javonte Williams delivered a performance that had Broncos Country he had finally returned to pre-injury form.
This time, Williams’ showing against Las Vegas cemented the fact we’ll never see that remarkable version of the back ever again. That’s a strong proclamation to make, but it’s hard to muster any optimism for the fourth-year runner following a game that saw him total -2 yards on eight attempts.
Javonte Williams got 7 carries for 0 yards, is that even legal ? pic.twitter.com/TE83y8xcYg
— 🇭🇹 (@stillmsc) November 25, 2024
It’s been clear for a while now that Javonte Williams wouldn’t be returning to Denver in 2025, but with each passing week, his free agency outlook loses more and more luster.
Right now, it’s hard to imagine any team signing Williams for a role as a main rotational piece in their backfield, let alone as an offense’s lead back. He’s a solid receiving threat and pass-blocker, but with his limited juice and rushing ability, that will only take him so far.
Sadly, his market is likely to be somewhat similar to what Samaje Perine’s was when Denver signed him. That’s a steep decline from the hope that surrounded Williams as recently as Week 7.
Sean Payton
Things are generally very positive with Denver Broncos head coach/football czar Sean Payton.
Nonetheless, with him doing such an overwhelmingly positive job with the team, it takes very little to land him in the ‘Stock Down’ category.
In the Week 12 game against the Raiders, Coach Payton had two offenses — questionable clock management, and an unwillingness to abandon Javonte Williams in the ground game.
Contrary to what seems to be the popular consensus in Broncos Country right now, the clock-management choices are the less concerning of those two fumbles. That said, we must digest the clock-mangement woes first.
With the Broncos in control of the game, late in the fourth quarter, with the offense on the field, Sean Payton called three consecutive passing plays, resulting in a near-immediate three-and-out that left the door open for a Raider comeback. Then, after the defense bailed him out with a takeaway, shortly before the two-minute warning, Payton doubled down on the aggressive play-calling, resulting in another incompletion, and ultimately, another speedy three-and-out.
In a vacuum, that is horrific clock management which, against a more respectable opponent, could have easily cost the Broncos the game.
However, given the context of Nix’s remarkable reliability (he was completing 65.8% of passes at that point in the game), and the run game’s ineptitude (the first play on that second three-and-out was a -2-yard carry from Williams), the choice to bet on Nix completing a pass or two to drive a dagger into the Raiders’ chest instead of Javonte Williams, is a more sensible one.
In his postgame press conference, Payton also cited Las Vegas’ backfield penetration and the resulting risk of a fumble as another reason he opted to lean on his quarterback’s arm.
Fair points.
That said, it’s hard not to wonder if the calculation would have been different had the Broncos leaned harder on either of their backs averaging over 5.0 yards per carry, instead of the one back averaging -0.5 yards per carry, down the stretch of the fourth quarter.
Payton on RB Audric Estime: "I’ve got to continue to find his role because I feel like he can be that same type player (as Vele) at a different position that we’re not quite seeing yet because of the opportunity.” #9sports
— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) November 25, 2024
During his postgame presser, Payton also highlighted Audric Estime as a player who could have an impact on the offense similar to the one Vele is having. Based on what we’ve seen so far from the rookie, it’s easy to agree with Denver’s offensive general.
So, why isn’t he getting more carries, Sean?
Now, with the Javonte Williams Experiment dead and buried, hopefully Sean Payton will lean harder on Estime as the Broncos chase a playoff spot.
