Category: Broncos Buzz

All 32 NFL quarterbacks (including Bo Nix) ranked by Total QBR

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix has a Total QBR rating of 55.9 through 12 weeks. He ranks 21st in the NFL.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix posted a Total QBR rating of 64.8 in the team’s 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last week, bringing his season-long Total QBR average to 55.9.

That’s a slight improvement from last week’s rating (55.3), but Nix’s rank among starting QBs (No. 21) dropped one spot from last week (No. 20).

Nix’s traditional passer rating this season is 89.9, which ranks 20th.

Unlike a traditional passer rating, the Total QBR “incorporates all of a quarterback’s contributions to winning, including how he impacts the game on passes, rushes, turnovers and penalties,” according to ESPN.

The metric takes into account scenarios that a traditional passer rating overlooks and considers “a team’s level of success or failure on every play to provide the proper context and then allocates credit to the quarterback and his teammate to produce a clearer measure of quarterback efficiency.”

With that context in mind, here’s a look at how Nix stacks up against the NFL’s other starting quarterbacks this fall.

NFL QBs ranked by Total QBR after Week 12

  1. Lamar Jackson: 75.9
  2. Joe Burrow: 75.6
  3. Josh Allen: 73.2
  4. Kyler Murray: 72.5
  5. Brock Purdy: 67.6
  6. Patrick Mahomes: 66.8
  7. Jameis Winston: 66.7
  8. Jayden Daniels: 66.5
  9. Jalen Hurts: 63.7
  10. Matthew Stafford: 62.4
  11. Trevor Lawrence: 61.8
  12. Derek Carr: 61.7
  13. Tua Tagovailoa: 60.0
  14. Sam Darnold: 59.4
  15. Baker Mayfield: 59.3
  16. Jordan Love: 58.4
  17. Justin Herbert: 58.1
  18. Jared Goff: 57.1
  19. Drake Maye: 57.7
  20. Kirk Cousins: 56.8
  21. Bo Nix: 55.9
  22. Geno Smith: 54.6
  23. Aaron Rodgers: 51.4
  24. C.J. Stroud: 51.3
  25. Russell Wilson: 50.1
  26. Caleb Williams: 48.9
  27. Aidan O’Connell: 47.3
  28. Anthony Richardson: 45.9
  29. Will Levis: 36.4
  30. Bryce Young: 35.8
  31. Cooper Rush: 33.2
  32. Drew Lock: 9.3

Nix will look to improve his Total QBR rating when the Broncos host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13.

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Broncos vs. Browns broadcast map: Will the game be on TV?

Fans in the ORANGE will get the Broncos-Browns game on TV this week.

The Denver Broncos (7-5) are set to host the Cleveland Browns (3-8) on Monday Night Football in Week 13 of the 2024 NFL season on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6:15 p.m. MT (8:15 p.m. ET).

The AFC showdown will be nationally televised on ESPN and available to stream on fuboTV (try it free). Unfortunately, there is no ManningCast scheduled for the Broncos-Browns game.

Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) will call the game for ESPN with Lisa Salters reporting from the sideline.

On the radio, the game will be nationally broadcast on Westwood One and locally available on KOA Radio.

Fans in the orange areas on the map below will get the game on ESPN.

Ex-Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and ex-Denver defensive lineman Shelby Harris now play for Cleveland and they will return to Empower Field at Mile High on Monday.

The Broncos lead the all-time series against the Browns 25-7 and Denver is considered a home favorite in Week 13.

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Broncos’ updated 17-player practice squad after roster moves

The Broncos made a change to their practice squad this week. Here’s a look at the updated 17-player squad.

The Denver Broncos made a change to the practice squad this week.

The roster shuffling started on Tuesday when the team waived offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton from the 53-man roster. Throckmorton cleared waivers on Wednesday and re-signed on the practice squad.

To make room for Throckmorton, Denver promoted linebacker Zach Cunningham from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

The NFL’s standard practice squad size limit is 16 players, but there’s an exception that allows an extra international player to not count against the limit. For Denver, Australian tight end Thomas Yassmin is an exception, giving the Broncos a 17-player practice squad.

So here’s the full list of 17 players on the squad after the recent moves.

Broncos 17-player practice squad

  1. RB Blake Watson
  2. WR Michael Bandy
  3. WR David Sills
  4. WR A.T. Perry
  5. TE Donald Parham
  6. TE Thomas Yassmin
  7. OT Cam Fleming
  8. OL Nick Garguilo
  9. OL Calvin Throckmorton
  10. DT Jordan Miller
  11. DL Matt Henningsen
  12. OLB Andrew Farmer
  13. LB Kwon Alexander
  14. CB Reese Taylor
  15. DB Quinton Newsome
  16. DB Tanner McCalister
  17. DB Keidron Smith 

Two players can be elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster each week.

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Jerry Jeudy isn’t the only ex-Bronco returning to Denver this week

Jerry Jeudy is one of three ex-Broncos players set to return to Denver on ‘Monday Night Football’ in Week 13.

The Denver Broncos are set to host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13 in a game that will feature three players returning to Empower Field at Mile High.

Perhaps most notable, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy will be playing against his former team for the first time since being traded to the Browns this spring. Jeudy, 25, was picked by the Broncos in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Alabama.

Jeudy showed flashes of potential but never quite lived up to his pre-draft hype in Denver, hauling in 211 receptions for 3,053 yards and 11 touchdowns in four seasons (57 games) with the Broncos.

Jeudy’s not the only ex-Bronco returning to Denver. The Browns also have defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who played for the Broncos from 2017-2021 before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks as part of the Russell Wilson trade. After one season in Seattle, Harris signed with Cleveland in 2023.

Finally, the Browns also have ex-Denver cornerback and special teams ace Mike Ford, who played for the Broncos in 2021. Ford has played for five NFL teams. This is his second stint in Cleveland.

Monday’s game will be nationally televised on ESPN, which is available to stream on fuboTV (try it free). Unfortunately, there’s no ManningCast scheduled for the Broncos-Browns matchup in Week 13.

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Courtland Sutton is making Broncos history and getting close to big incentives

Courtland Sutton was the third-fastest Bronco to reach 5,000 career receiving yards, and he’s now closing in on some big incentives.

Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton continues to climb the team’s all-time receiving list.

Following his eight-catch, 97-yard, two-touchdown performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, Sutton became the fifth player in franchise history to post at least 50 receptions and 700 receiving yards in five separate seasons. Sutton has also surpassed 5,000 career receiving yards in 93 games, making him the third-fastest Bronco to reach that milestone.

Sutton’s 355 career receptions rank ninth on the team’s all-time list and his 5,003 receiving yards rank 11th. He needs 358 yards over the last five games to pass Emmanuel Sanders for 10th place on Denver’s all-time list.

Sutton’s productive season could pay dividends after the Broncos added $1.5 million worth of incentives to his contract this summer.

Sutton’s contract includes a $500,000 incentive for 500 receiving yards + Denver scoring more points than in 2023, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. He’s already passed 500 yards — now the offense needs to average more than 21.0 points per game (they’re currently at 22.0).

There’s another $500,000 incentive for 750 receiving yards and the team’s points improving. Sutton’s just six yards away from that total.

Finally, Sutton could receive another $500,000 if he reaches 1,065 receiving yards. He’s currently on pace for a 1,054-yard season. If he’s close going into the team’s regular season finale, Sutton will likely be given an opportunity to hit that mark.

Suton ranks 13th in receptions (57), ninth in receiving yards (744) and 13th in touchdowns (five) in the NFL this season. He’s making a case for the Pro Bowl in his seventh season with the Broncos.

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Karl Mecklenburg: Broncos outplayed Raiders in all three phases

Karl Mecklenburg: “Once Bo Nix settled in, the Broncos were able to take advantage of the one-on-one pass coverage that blitzing dictates.”

The Broncos beat their longtime rivals the Oakland, LA, Oakland, Las Vegas Raiders, by hanging around in the first half, and taking it to the Raiders in the second half. The Raiders came out blitzing on defense, which isn’t their normal game plan. They blitzed to stop the run and pressure the Broncos rookie quarterback into making mistakes. That’s usually a good game plan against rookie quarterbacks, but once Bo Nix settled in, the Broncos were able to take advantage of the one-on-one pass coverage that blitzing dictates.

Wil Lutz and the recently maligned field goal team came through with 5 made field goals in the game.

Denver’s defense played the entire game without their top defensive lineman Zach Allen, and lost rookie cornerback Riley Moss in the second half. Allen’s pressure up the middle was missed throughout the game, and it would have been nice to have Moss in the game when the Raiders tried to make a 4th quarter comeback. The Broncos defense kept them in the game early and came up with turnovers to help seal the win. This was a team win, on the road, against a division opponent. All three phases of the Broncos outplayed their Raider counterparts.

As the season winds down, the Broncos’ schedule is going to get goofy. They play Monday night and then they have their bye. They also got flexed into a Thursday night slot against the Chargers. These changes will mess with the rhythm of a team’s normal weekly practice schedule. How do you handle schedule changes? In the NFL meetings and practices are planned out ahead of time. If anything changes, and adjustments are needed, everyone is notified as early as possible and reminded repeatedly. Hopefully the Broncos will rise above the disruption and continue their push to the playoffs. Go Broncos!

Karl Mecklenburg originally shared this post on his social media pages and it was re-shared here with permission. Mecklenburg played for the Denver Broncos from 1983-1994, earning six Pro Bowl nods and five All-Pro selections during his decorated career in the NFL. Mecklenburg is now a motivational keynote speaker. You can book Mecklenburg on his website. 

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Broncos kicker Wil Lutz wins weekly award

This was Wil Lutz’s second time winning the award in 2024.

After the Denver Broncos‘ win over the Las Vegas Raiders, kicker Wil Lutz earned another personal accolade of his own.

Lutz was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after going 5-for-5 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. Lutz’s 17 points proved the critical difference in the Broncos’ 29-19 win over the Raiders. Lutz made field goals of 33, 38, 45, 53 and 54 yards in the win.

Week 12 was the second time Lutz won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2024. Lutz also won the award after Denver’s Week 3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2024, Lutz has been exceptional for the Broncos. Lutz has made 24-of-27 field goals (88.9%) and a perfect 26-of-26 on extra points in 2024. After being traded to Denver in 2023, Lutz has been 54-of-61 on field goals and 55-of-57 on extra points.

There are five games left for Lutz to improve on those numbers before the season ends. Up next is a Monday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.

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Recapping the 5 roster moves Broncos made this week

Greg Dulcich out, Drew Sanders back, Zach Cunningham up and Calvin Throckmorton down. The Broncos have been busy with roster moves.

The Denver Broncos have been busy with transactions this week.

The moves started on Monday when the Broncos waived tight end Greg Dulcich, who was picked up by the New York Giants one day later.

To fill Dulcich’s old spot on the 53-man roster, Denver activated linebacker Drew Sanders (Achilles) from the physically unable to perform list. Sanders is now back on the active roster.

The cuts continued on Tuesday when the Broncos waived offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton. That move was made to make room for linebacker Zach Cunningham to be promoted from the practice squad on Wednesday.

Throckmorton cleared waivers on Wednesday and he is now set to re-sign with the team’s practice squad.

Now the team will have to make a decision on wide receiver Josh Reynolds (finger). If he is not activated from injured reserve before Dec. 4, Reynolds will spend the rest of the season on IR.

Broncos roster moves this week

  1. TE Greg Dulcich cut from 53-man roster
  2. LB Drew Sanders activated from PUP list
  3. OL Calvin Throckmorton cut from 53-man roster
  4. LB Zach Cunningham promoted to 53-man roster
  5. OL Calvin Throckmorton signed to practice squad

Denver is preparing to host the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football in Week 13. That game will be nationally televised on ESPN.

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