Winning never comes easy in the NFL, but it usually doesn’t come this way either.
The Broncos ripped off another one-score win, their 16th in a row, to take down the Carolina Panthers 26-21 at Bank of America Stadium on Sunday. They needed another fourth-quarter comeback to do it, scoring 13 unanswered points in the final frame.
Here’s The Denver Post’s stock report from the team’s fifth straight victory.
Pat Bryant and Courtland Sutton: After top wide receiver Jaylen Waddle exited the game midway through the first half, Denver was left with a receiving corps that has been shaky at times. Bryant had been on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Sutton had surpassed 50 receiving yards just once this season, and Marvin Mims and Troy Franklin had yet to record three catches in a game.
But Bryant’s health and Sutton’s effectiveness are key to this Denver offense working. When healthy, Bryant has arguably been the team’s best receiver. He’s a smooth route runner, understands coverage and is a strong runner after the catch. He finished with four receptions for 56 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown catch on third down.
Sutton has put together three strong consecutive games, following 45- and 53-yard performances with a five-catch, 45-yard afternoon in Carolina. Quarterback Bo Nix targeted the big receiver a season-high nine times. Sutton’s red-zone touchdown came on a perfect release against press coverage, giving Nix a wide window to throw into.
Justin Strnad: Most of the praise for the wild Devon Key interception will go to the backup safety, and rightfully so. Strnad deserves credit for knocking the ball away from Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble and sticking with the play, though.
Panthers fans might argue that Strnad got to Tremble early, but the referees didn’t see it that way. It was another strong coverage rep for the linebacker. He recorded only two tackles, but Pro Football Focus considered both stops.
Que Robinson: With Jonathon Cooper back, Robinson’s playing time has dwindled slightly over the past two weeks. Yet he continues to produce at an elite level for a rotational pass rusher.
On Sunday, he recorded three pressures in just 16 pass-rush snaps, a team-high pressure rate of 18.75%. Robinson’s bend looked nearly identical to teammate Nik Bonitto’s on a second-half pressure. Rookie tackle Monroe Freeling looked stunned by Robinson’s quickness, and Broncos fans are increasingly seeing the second-year leap many expected from the edge rusher.
Sean Payton: It was awfully close, but Denver’s coach made a critical challenge that flipped the game. His decision to trust Evan Rothstein, the team’s director of game management, and ask officials to review Key’s interception turned a likely Panthers touchdown into a Broncos scoring drive. That’s a 14-point swing.
This was also a classic trap game for Denver: a road game after an emotional victory and before the bye week. But the Broncos appeared fully motivated. Payton’s opening-drive script ended in a field goal, and Denver scored a touchdown on its ensuing possession.
With 201 career victories, Payton moved into a tie for 10th in NFL history in overall wins, alongside Mike Tomlin and Dan Reeves.
Stock down
Jahdae Barron: The second-year cornerback struggled after stepping into the void left by Riley Moss’ departure with a concussion. He surrendered six catches on nine targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Panthers quarterback Bryce Young relentlessly targeted his side of the field, and with Kris Abrams-Draine (ankle) out, Denver didn’t have any other options.
Barron had a nice stretch of play before Sunday, so an overreaction to one poor performance would be unwarranted. But with major decisions looming at cornerback this offseason, every performance from Barron carries extra weight.
Backup safeties: Outside of Key’s interception, it was easy to feel the absence of Talanoa Hufanga and Brandon Jones. The Panthers attacked downfield, with Young averaging 7.08 yards per pass attempt, and found success targeting Barron and the safeties.
JL Skinner and Taylor Rapp combined for eight tackles, and Skinner added two pressures. Still, Hufanga’s expected return after the bye week will be a welcome boost for a team that has been without its starting safety duo for several weeks.
Interior offensive line: Against one of the NFL’s worst run defenses, the Broncos averaged just 3.0 yards per carry. Carolina entered Sunday allowing nearly 5 yards per attempt. Rookie Jonah Coleman managed 57 rushing yards, but 38 came after contact.
When Coleman ran behind Ben Powers, Luke Wattenberg and Quinn Meinerz, Denver averaged 3.16 yards per carry, according to Pro Football Focus. That figure dropped to 2.0 yards per carry on six runs between Powers and Wattenberg.
The Broncos have one of the most expensive offensive lines in football, but Sunday — and, frankly, much of this season — offered little evidence of that investment paying off in the running game.