Denver Broncos studs and duds: Baron Browning shines in big win

The Denver Broncos got a huge victory at home coming out of the bye week over the Los Angeles Chargers. Who stood out in this game whether good or bad?

After an extremely disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles before the bye week, the Denver Broncos came out and had another very impressive victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.

With the decisive 28-13 win over Justin Herbert and company, the Denver Broncos are now 6-5 and have a game on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs which will be for first place in the AFC West.

A meaningful Broncos football game in December? we’re all game.

The victory over the Chargers was absolutely loaded with notable individual performances, both good and bad. Which players showed out for the Broncos in this one, and which players were duds?

Denver Broncos stud #1 vs. Chargers: Baron Browning, LB

Baron Browning may not have been the best player in this game for the Denver Broncos, but he was tremendous from start to finish.

A healthy Baron Browning has been a massive difference-maker for the Denver Broncos’ defense, not unlike the spark Alexander Johnson gave the unit when he was inserted into the lineup in 2019.

Browning has elite physical tools, but he’s also instinctive and versatile. He made plays in this game against the run, as a pass rusher, and in coverage, helping the Denver Broncos to a pretty stellar performance against Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler.

The Chargers didn’t get much of anything going in the run game with Justin Herbert leading the way at 36 yards on the ground. Browning had a lot to do with that.

He finished this game with seven total tackles and an impressive PBU.

Denver Broncos Dud #1: Drew Lock, QB

Drew Lock was horrid in his second relief appearance of the season.

I don’t know if it’s even a hot take to say that I think Brett Rypien will be the team’s backup against the Kansas City Chiefs and Drew Lock demoted and deactivated.

When Lock came into the game, the Broncos were extremely conservative with their play-calling. It was frustrating at first, and then Lock quickly proved why they were going with the always unpopular run-run-pass strategy.

Lock fumbled the ball after getting hit from behind when he was trying to scramble up the middle of the pocket, and with the Broncos leading 14-0 late in the first half, he threw an interception trying to force the ball to Kendall Hinton when he should have just been throwing the ball away.

All of the positives we saw from Lock in the preseason seem to be completely gone at this point. His recklessness has reached the point of being absolutely infuriating.

While there have been times that it felt right to call for Lock to replace Bridgewater, it’s apparent at this point that Lock is not trusted by the coaching staff, and his play justifies it.

Denver Broncos Stud #2: Pat Surtain II, CB

What else can be said about Pat Surtain II?

He is a superstar in the making.

Surtain had his second interception of the season as the Los Angeles Chargers were knocking on the door with a very good scoring opportunity in the second half.

Justin Herbert made an ill-advised throw into the end zone and PS2 was waiting…

https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1465100727710363651

This interception was as game-changing as game-changing gets. Surtain’s interception prevented the Chargers from closing the gap or even possibly tying the game at the start of the fourth quarter, but he wasn’t done there.

After an impressive and gutty drive by the offense, Surtain was at it again…

Surtain II finished this game with two interceptions including a pick-six, as well as five total tackles. He also had great coverage on a two-point conversion play after the Chargers scored their second and final touchdown of the game.

He’s emerged immediately as one of the best corners in the game.

Denver Broncos Stud #3: Javonte Williams, RB

Every single week, Javonte Williams does something that will have your jaw on the floor.

Sometimes, he has a little help from his friends, as he did on a first down run late in the game when he was absolutely carried by right tackle Cam Fleming.

He also had some easier runs in this game, like this touchdown on 3rd-and-goal from nine yards out:

So why was this kid the number one back for the Denver Broncos in the 2021 NFL Draft? Why did they decide to trade up to select him in the second round?

Because he makes game-altering plays like this one:

This catch and run came at a crucial time for the Denver Broncos after the Pat Surtain II interception, and it led to an Eric Saubert touchdown catch.

Williams finished this game with 111 yards from scrimmage and the touchdown run you saw previously, but his impact was so much more than just what the box score shows.

Late in the fourth quarter, the Broncos ahead by 15 points, Williams and Melvin Gordon led the Broncos on a flawlessly executed four-minute drive to close out the win.

Week in and week out, Williams is proving why he’s one of the best young backs in the league.

Denver Broncos Dud #2 vs. Chargers: Kyle Fuller, CB

Unfortunately, Kyle Fuller continues to be victimized in coverage on a weekly basis.

He had a great play in this game with a tackle for loss on Keenan Allen who caught a quick pass behind the line of scrimmage as the Chargers attempted to spring him on a screen type of play, but to no avail.

Fuller shut that down, but that was his lone highlight on the day as he was frequently the player in coverage on some of the biggest pass plays for the Chargers.

Since week one, Fuller has been unfortunately getting a bit cooked in coverage and it’s been tough to watch.

He was such a fun offseason acquisition for the Broncos and everyone thought he was going to rekindle the magic he had found playing in Vic Fangio’s defense when the two were in Chicago, but he has been far from the All-Pro he was just a couple of years ago.

The tough season for Fuller continued against the Chargers and the Broncos might be wise to put a different player in the slot, maybe Essang Bassey, and let Fuller play the dime linebacker role if Caden Sterns has to fill in for Kareem Jackson next weekend again.

Denver Broncos Stud #4 vs. Chargers: Teddy Bridgewater, QB

You’ve got to give credit where it’s due.

After the Denver Broncos’ loss against the Philadelphia Eagles a couple of weeks ago, everyone in Broncos Country was apparently done with Teddy Bridgewater. Not only did he play a bad game, but he made a terrible effort on a fumble recovery by the Eagles.

Bridgewater owned up to having poor effort on that play, and it seemed like he carried a bit of a chip on his shoulder into this game against the Chargers.

Early in the game, Bridgewater got the scoring started with a brilliant 11-yard touchdown run to put the Broncos up 7-0.

He then took a hit later on that forced him out of the game completely in the first half. Apparently, he got hit in the shin and it swelled up pretty bad, so the Broncos had to check to make sure his bones weren’t damaged, but it turned out to be just a really bad bruise.

Still, Bridgewater was in noticeable pain, limping on the field. After Drew Lock’s horrendous outing, Bridgewater came back into the game nowhere near 100 percent, and he gutted out every single snap.

He even made this play on the one-yard touchdown to Eric Saubert:

When Teddy Bridgewater plays well, the Denver Broncos have been a dominant football team. Of their six wins, five of them have been of the blowout variety, and it’s safe to say that Bridgewater has played well in all of them.

Broncos stay in thick of division, playoff races with win over Chargers

The Denver Broncos were able to get a huge victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, keeping their playoff and division title hopes very much alive.

You could sense in this game that Bridgewater was eager to prove himself after the effort on the play against Philadelphia. He gutted out a really tough performance and he deserves a ton of credit for it.