After a quick turnaround and a game with a tremendous amount of emotion behind it, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos beat the New Orleans Saints 33-10 to earn their fourth win of the season. Without Patrick Surtain II, the Broncos defense put together a solid game by allowing three points before a garbage-time touchdown when some starters were withdrawn.

The Broncos offense turned the run game against one of the NFL’s worst rushing defenses, but the passing game remained inconsistent.

The Broncos player grades in Week 7 reflect on-field performance at an individual level. To be rated, a player must play a minimum of 20 snaps, resulting in 13 players on offense and 17 players on defense qualifying this week.

Let’s jump in.

The passing game had issues that stemmed from footwork and Nix’s discomfort in the pocket. However, Payton began to use Nix’s athleticism to provide momentum to the ground offense, which should continue.

Nix’s athleticism and rushing ability got his grade to where it is, but the Broncos need to figure out the footwork and comfort in the pocket.

This was Williams’ best game as he had his first career game with two rushing touchdowns and the third highest total. There were some issues with the protection, but he almost literally put the offense on his shoulders.

Quarterback issues that led to problems in the passing game made it difficult for the Broncos’ receivers to get a good grade. Vele made some plays as a blocker, but also had one great catch and run.

Franklin was the most targeted receiver, catching five of six for a team-high 50 yards, with 30 of those coming in one play. Humphrey was solid, while Sutton wasn’t officially targeted and did a fine job as a blocker.

The Broncos need a legitimate threat from the tight end position. Krull caught three passes for 41 yards, but his blocking leaves a lot to be desired.

Trautman, the only other grade-eligible tight end, is considered the blocking tight end, but he has been inconsistent there and doesn’t offer much as a receiver.

The Broncos tackles had an excellent game against the Saints, who had problems generating pressure. Between the two tackles, Bolles and McGlinchey allowed just one pressure, and both did exceptionally well as run blockers.

Powers allowed two pressures in the passing game, but he had an excellent game as a run blocker. Meinerz was clean in pass protection, but his run blocking had some lapses.

As for Forsyth, the Broncos need better from him as he allowed two pressures in the passing game and struggled in the run game.

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The Broncos defensive line controlled the trenches, thanks in large part to Allen, Roach and Franklin-Myers. Jackson and Jones had a solid game, but Jones’ poorly timed charging penalty took away a huge play from the Broncos defense. It’s nice to see the Broncos have a good rotation on the defensive line for the first time in a few years.

This was one of Bonitto’s best games in his short career. He did a good job getting after the quarterback, with five pressures, including a sack. He has now recorded a sack in five straight games.

Bonitto had some issues against the series, but they were smaller than before this season. Elliss had a strong game in both phases, Cooper had an off day as a run defender and Browning struggled throughout after returning from injured reserve.

While Barton made big plays, Strnad played an excellent game without the splash. Barton made those splashes, but also had some flaws in his game.

Still, it was Barton’s best game since joining the Broncos. Alexander also provided quality play in his first appearance with the Broncos.

Without Surtain, the Broncos’ corners had to step up, and they did. Granted, they didn’t face the toughest matches, but they still had their work cut out for them.

Moss played the Surtain role while Wallace stood opposite him. McMillian bounced back from a tough Week 6 game by having a good game against the Saints.

Jones remains a great asset for the Broncos, especially with his play in coverage and downhill. He blew up a few plays with how quickly he went downhill.

Locke had a rough game in coverage, but made a few plays going downhill.

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