Buffalo Bills vs. Denver Broncos: Full Report Card Grades for Denver
It wasn't pretty, but the Denver Broncos were able to defeat the Buffalo Bills in Week 14, winning 24-17.
In the process, the Broncos got their 10th victory of the season, keeping up with the New England Patriots in the race for home-field advantage in the playoffs.
Denver won the game despite a lopsided box score. Buffalo also scored the final 14 points of the game and had an attempt to recover an onside kick for a tying score with less than a minute left to go.
However, finding a way to win when Peyton Manning doesn't throw a touchdown pass is important.
"The @Broncos are loving their seat tonight: they're the one seed if Chargers win. Patriots win, Denver can wrap up West next week.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) December 8, 2014"
The Broncos will travel to San Diego in Week 15 to play the Chargers in a very important divisional game. Denver won the first meeting between the teams, 35-21, back in October.
Read on for more on the game against Buffalo, including report card grades for each positional unit.
Quarterback
1 of 10
If you look back on Peyton Manning's career in Denver to find his worst game, you may very well pull up this one. Statistically, Manning had a poor performance.
He completed just 14 passes for 173 yards and threw two interceptions. But it wasn't just in the box score where Manning was bad. The two interceptions he threw were 100 percent on him.
On the first interception, Manning severely underthrew the ball. The ball fluttered through the air before Corey Graham jumped up and snagged it.
On the second interception, Manning threw toward the side of Demaryius Thomas, but Stephon Gilmore made a great play on the ball and almost looked like the intended receiver on the play.
On top of that, Manning's streak of 51 straight games with a touchdown pass was snapped. Still, he'll trade that all in for a victory.
Grade: C-
Running Back
2 of 10
Buffalo seemed intent on stopping the Denver running game, which had churned out over 200 yards on the ground the previous two games. For the most part, it did a good job.
Denver still found ways to be effective.
The Broncos gained 133 yards rushing. C.J. Anderson had three touchdowns on the day, and Juwan Thompson was a nice change-of-pace runner, picking up 63 yards. Most of that came on a 47-yard run that he nearly broke for a touchdown.
Running backs didn't factor into the passing game much for the Broncos, as they accounted for just one catch.
Still, it's nice to see Denver stay committed to the running game, as offensive coordinator Adam Gase called 29 run plays compared to just 20 passes.
It's been working for the Broncos with their third- and fourth-string running backs. Though they didn't run for over 200 yards in this game, they did enough.
When Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman are healthy, they'll have even more options.
Grade: B
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
The Bills lived up to being the No. 5-ranked pass defense in the league, as the Broncos had a tough time throwing against them on Sunday.
Denver's No. 1 target, Demaryius Thomas, was almost completely shut down. He had just two catches for 11 yards on the day.
Interestingly, the Broncos began to run their wide receiver screen pass, which usually goes to Thomas, to Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders wasn't nearly as effective.
Wes Welker came up big in the game, however. Manning found him on the Broncos' first offensive play for a gain of 38 yards.
Welker finished with six catches for 82 yards, one of his most productive games of the season. He had all but disappeared from the offense.
"Wes Welker with a 7 yard return. Looked good. Caught the ball. Made a move. Positive yardage. Am I making too much of this?
— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) December 7, 2014"
Julius Thomas was active for this game, but he may as well have been inactive, as he didn't have a ball thrown his way. Instead, the Broncos went with Jacob Tamme, who caught one pass and ended up having it knocked out of his arms for a fumble.
The Denver receivers had a hard time getting separation, making matters worse for Manning.
Grade: C-
Offensive Line
4 of 10
Coming into Week 14, the Buffalo Bills led the NFL with 48 sacks. They didn't have one on Sunday.
Denver's reshuffled offensive line is becoming one of the biggest keys to this season, as it has been excellent in opening holes in the running game as well as in protecting Manning.
Since Denver's loss to St. Louis in Week 11, the offensive line has stepped up its play. They've put the offense on their backs and gone out and pushed people around.
This is the offensive line the organization has been waiting to see.
Looking at the box score, you'd immediately think the Broncos lost this game. How can they win a game in which Manning only completes 14 passes and doesn't throw a single touchdown?
Look no further than the offensive line.
Grade: A
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The defensive line had some good moments in this game, but it also had some bad ones.
For starters, the Bills ran for just 74 yards in the game. But that can probably be chalked up to them having to play from behind, as they did average 4.6 yards per carry when they did run the ball.
Bills quarterback Kyle Orton was sacked four times in this game, and the Broncos got six hits on him. Malik Jackson applied pressure several times.
But late in the game, Orton had his way with the defense as the Bills mounted a comeback. That doesn't all fall on the defensive line, but Orton was allowed to sit back in the pocket and find his targets down the field for basically the entire fourth quarter.
Jackson had a very good game with six tackles and a sack. Two of his tackles went for a loss of yardage. The rest of the defensive line was kept quiet. DeMarcus Ware barely had his name called.
Grade: C+
Linebackers
6 of 10
What has Brandon Marshall not done well this year? He is having one of the best seasons of any linebacker, not just in Denver, but maybe the entire league.
On Sunday, he tied for the team lead with nine tackles. But he was a factor in the passing game as well. Not only did Marshall have three passes defensed, but he came up with a big interception as well.
On that play, he stepped in front of a pass intended for Buffalo tight end Scott Chandler and intercepted it, setting the Broncos up at the Buffalo 33-yard line.
Von Miller had a sack in the game, and Lerentee McCray even got in on the act, knocking down a screen pass attempt on a play that would have gone for big yardage if Orton had been able to complete it.
Chandler ended up having a big game, and he was a huge factor in Buffalo's comeback bid. Denver has struggled for years in keeping up with tight ends, and much of that has fallen on the linebackers.
"Hey Chicago, Our Brandon Marshall is better than your Brandon Marshall! 😛 Broncos
— Orange Lilies (@mile_hi_magic) December 7, 2014"
But Marshall has been the guy who has stood out, and that was the case again on Sunday. With his play, the impact of Danny Trevathan's injury has been much less than it could have been.
Grade: B-
Secondary
7 of 10
Much like the defensive line, the Denver secondary had its ups and downs on Sunday.
Chris Harris and David Bruton both had big games on Sunday. Playing in his most extensive action in quite some time, Bruton had nine tackles and one pass defensed on the day.
Harris continues to be as good as any cornerback in the league. He had five tackles, one sack and one interception on the day.
On the interception, Harris stepped in front of a pass that was intended for Robert Woods in the end zone. He returned it for 38 yards. This was an especially big play because Denver had just turned the ball over on its previous possession.
But as good as Harris and Bruton were, the defense gave up way too much through the air. Orton threw for a season-high 355 yards in the game, completing 38 passes in the process.
"David Bruton having a heck of a game! Three big tackles by my unofficial count so far.
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) December 7, 2014"
Sammy Watkins had his best game in weeks, catching seven passes for 127 yards. If Buffalo could have recovered an onside kick, it might have been able to make things very interesting.
It was a good day for some, but not a great day for the unit.
Grade: C-
Special Teams
8 of 10
The decision to release Isaiah Burse and promote Brandon McManus from the practice squad appears to have worked, at least for one week.
Denver brought McManus up to serve as a kickoff specialist, and he had a touchback on all but one of his kicks Sunday.
Connor Barth, who will be used just for field goals and extra points, did his job too. He did what McManus never could this year, kicking a 50-yard field goal. Though it barely got over the crossbar, it still counts.
It's always a strong debate as to whether or not to use a precious roster spot on a player who does nothing but kick the ball off, but after watching Barth handle kickoffs in Kansas City last week, it was the right decision.
Replacing Burse as the team's punt returner was Welker, who had seven yards on his lone return that wasn't a fair catch.
Welker may not be the perfect return man, but it doesn't appear that the Broncos are going to adequately fill that role this season. At least Welker has some experience in that department.
Britton Colquitt averaged 49.7 yards on his three punts, getting more length than he has in recent weeks. He put two of his punts inside the 20-yard line, though one went for a touchback.
Grade: B+
Coaching
9 of 10
Looking at the stats, this is a game that the Broncos will lose when playing better opponents. Buffalo just didn't have enough to get the job done.
But it had more total yards than the Broncos, forced three turnovers and had a seven-minute advantage in time of possession.
The Broncos also had a tough time getting the Bills off the field on third down, especially late in the contest. They converted nine of 16 third downs in the game.
Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio didn't seem to have an answer for Buffalo's offense in the fourth quarter, as Orton was able to do what he wanted with the ball.
Adam Gase devised a good game plan, utilizing the running game despite Buffalo's strength in defending against it. But he should have found more ways to get the ball in the hands of Demaryius Thomas. The Bills may be good, but Thomas being held to two catches for 11 yards is unacceptable.
It was a familiar feeling for the Broncos, having to hold on late to beat an inferior opponent. That goes back to coaching, and it is something that has hung with John Fox during most of his tenure in Denver.
It still seems like this team wins games in spite of their coaching.
Grade: C
Overall Grade
10 of 10
Quarterback: C-
Running Back: B
Wide Receiver/Tight End: C-
Offensive Line: A
Defensive Line: C+
Linebackers: B-
Secondary: C-
Special Teams: B+
Coaching: C
Overall Grade: C+
The Broncos won a game they easily could have lost, but the way they played is not how they want to be playing as they wrap the regular season up.
Though the running game has been very effective, the offense has been slumping, so it will be on Gase to come up with a strong, balanced attack going forward.
On the defensive side of the ball, Del Rio needs to identify a player who can stick with a tight end and use him in that role going forward. It has been an issue for far too long.
"Today's win gave the Broncos their 16th season with 10+wins in Mr. Bowlen's 31 years as owner. 3rd consecutive 10+win season for Denver.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) December 8, 2014"
The team can't expect to play like this against teams such as San Diego, Cincinnati or whoever it might draw in the playoffs and get wins.
Wins are wins, so it can't all be looked at as a negative, but the Broncos will need to improve upon this performance.
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