The Denver Broncos have been anything but boring this season, already amassing four fourth-quarter comebacks over their first eight games, and now sit atop the AFC West at 6-2, following yet another thrilling comeback, this time against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s been a gauntlet of a schedule through the first half of the season, already playing six games against playoff teams from last season, but the Broncos just continue to rack up wins, even with relatively inconsistent play.
Here, at the halfway point of the season, let’s take a look at the best individual performances so far
While the defense performed admirably in his absence, there’s no reason to overthink this. Anytime PS2 laces up for this team, he is the best player on the field.
Still criminally underrated, Zach Allen has been a monster on the interior this season. Through eight weeks, he leads all interior linemen in pressures (21) and ranks fifth overall, plus, with 4.5 sacks already, he’s on pace to set a new career-high this season.
Bolles has once again done an excellent job protecting Bo Nix’s blindside this season. Through nearly 300 pass-blocking snaps, he has yet to allow a sack and has allowed the third-fewest pressures in the league.
Through three seasons in Denver, Jones has been a consistent anchor on the back end of the defense, and this year has been no different. In addition to being excellent in coverage, allowing just a 67.3 quarterback rating when targeted, Jones continues to be a force in the run game, leading the secondary in both tackles and stops.
Quickly becoming a fan favorite, Ja’Quan McMillian is always around the football. Every season, he seems to improve in coverage and, of course, he’s kept up his trademark of being in the right place at the right time, seemingly every time.
After a slow start for Bonitto, that saw him tally just five total pressures and two quick pressures through the first two weeks, he’s turned it on – racking up 34 total pressures and 19 quick pressures over the six games since. He now leads the league in quick pressures per NextGen Stats, and the underlying numbers suggest he’s been better than the production. The return of Jonathon Cooper should also open up more space for Bonitto moving forward.
Is he good? Is he bad? It doesn’t matter; he just wins. On Sunday, Bo Nix became the NFL’s all-time leader in game-winning drives through a player’s first three seasons as the Broncos pulled off yet another improbable late-game comeback against the Chiefs. While the consistency needs to improve, there’s no doubt this team BO-lieves.
After spending the first 6 weeks of the season on the commissioner’s exempt list due to an ongoing investigation tied to a domestic violence charge this offseason, Cooper returned to the field against the Cardinals in week seven. According to NextGen Stats, since the start of last season, the Broncos have generated pressure on 42.3% of opponent dropbacks and sacks on 11.8% with Jonathon Cooper on the field (442 dropbacks).
Hufanga has been known for his run support in his career, but this season he’s taken a major step forward in coverage, allowing just a 54.6 quarterback rating when targeted, which is the best on the team. Unfortunately, an ankle injury has held Hufanga out the past two weeks.
The fourth-round rookie has been a revelation in the backfield, adding vision and explosiveness Denver has desperately needed. Coleman flashed his after-the-catch ability on Sunday when he took a swing pass 51-yards to set up the game-winning touchdown, which he punched in a play later. An ankle injury has limited his availability this season but, assuming he stays healthy, he could be a major boost for the Broncos’ anemic run game.
Honorable Mentions: Alex Singleton, Riley Moss, Malcolm Roach, Troy Franklin
Dropped from Preaseason Rankings: Jaylen Waddle, Quinn Meinerz, Cortland Sutton
