Denver Broncos: Week 5 Position Grades

Linebackers Grade: C+

It was not the tight ends that gave the Denver Broncos problems on defense; it was the running backs of the Atlanta Falcons. Tevin Coleman gave the linebackers nightmares as a receiver and runner out of the backfield. Coleman, coming out of college was an underrated athlete at the time, but now people understand why Indiana struck gold with him.

Coleman totaled 163 yards from scrimmage against a Broncos defense that prides itself on great linebacker play. Brandon Marshall did all he could to stay with Coleman and Freeman, but one man can only do so much as a linebacker. Todd Davis is one player on defense the Broncos may need to substitute out at some point. His coverage skills are not up to par with that of Marshall’s.

Zaire Anderson could take them to the next level, since he is hybrid player. He played safety, but mostly linebacker at Nebraska and performed exceptionally well in the preseason.

Overall though, Shane Ray and Von Miller did their thing defensively to stop Matt Ryan and create pressure to stall a drive. However, Davis’ lack of coverage became a liability throughout the game. A running back should never have 132 yards receiving against this defense, but it became a problem Marshall and Davis could not solve. Miller is an MVP candidate, but for the defense to rebound as a whole it starts with better defensive line and linebacker play on a short week.