The Denver Broncos got the bounce-back win they desperately needed, steamrolling a banged-up Cincinnati Bengals team under the national spotlight. Bo Nix (79.1) shined in the bright lights, throwing for 326 yards and two touchdowns while adding another on the ground. Now 3-1 in primetime, he’ll look to keep building momentum. Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its Week 4 player grades, highlighting the best and worst individual performances.
Offense
Best Players
- LT Garett Bolles: 88.0
- WR Marvin Mims Jr.: 82.7
- WR Courtland Sutton: 81.4
- RB J.K. Dobbins: 81.2
- TE Adam Trautman: 80.9
Dobbins was electric, shredding the defense for 101 yards. Though RJ Harvey (76.9) got the touchdown, it was Dobbins who averaged 6.3 yards per carry (YPC). In the process, he snapped Denver’s 38-game streak without a 100-yard rusher. Through just four games, Dobbins has piled up 323 yards at 5.7 per carry — putting him on pace for 1,373 yards. If he maintains this pace, he’ll become the first Broncos back since Phillip Lindsay in 2019 to crack the 1,000-yard mark.
Worst Players
- WR Pat Bryant: 40.8
- C Luke Wattenberg: 42.7
- TE Evan Engram: 44.9
- RB Tyler Badie: 48.0
- WR Troy Franklin: 56.8
Franklin has taken big strides since last season, but drops remain a concern — even if less frequent. Wattenberg, on the other hand, has strung together four straight weeks of shaky play. Penalties continue to haunt this team, and its five flags on Monday night could have been a problem if the score had been closer.
Defense
Best Players
- OLB Jonathon Cooper: 86.4
- DB Brandon Jones: 84.4
- LB Alex Singleton: 82.7
- DL John Franklin-Myers: 81.1
- OLB Nik Bonitto: 79.5
The defense as a whole earned a standing ovation, holding Cincinnati to just 159 yards and three points while racking up six QB hits and three sacks. Bonitto’s offseason extension looks like a bargain — he added two hits and 1.5 sacks against the Bengals, bringing his season total to 4.5. At this pace, he’s tracking for 19 sacks, which would break Von Miller’s franchise record of 18.5 set in 2012.
Worst Players
- DL Eyioma Uwazurike: 45.9
- CB Pat Surtain II: 49.7
- DE Zach Allen: 52.7
- CB Riley Moss: 58.6
- OLB Jonah Elliss: 62.2
Surtain’s low tackling grade last week was fair — his whiff on Quentin Johnston directly set up a Chargers touchdown. But what doesn’t add up is him finishing with the second-lowest defensive grade on the team. Even more baffling? His coverage grade of 46.4. He allowed just one catch to Ja’Marr Chase for eight yards and was targeted only twice. Make it make sense, PFF!
Special Teams
- LS Mitchell Fraboni: 49.8
- KR Marvin Mims Jr.: 62.3
- ST Garret Wallow: 74.7
- P Jeremy Crawshaw: 64.7
- K Wil Lutz: 64.5 (PAT) 60.0 (KO)
Mims made his mark on offense, but nearly gave one back on special teams. He bobbled a punt that Cincinnati initially recovered, only to have the near-turnover erased by a fair catch interference call.
Denver faces its toughest test yet on Sunday against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles. A win would be a statement victory for the Broncos, silencing the naysayers. Denver will head to Philadelphia this Sunday for the divisional showdown, with kickoff set for 11:00 a.m. MST.