They did it again.
At one point, the Denver Broncos trailed the Kansas City Chiefs by the score of 24-13 late in the third quarter and things looked dire. The offense was stacking three-and-out drives, and the defense could not tackle rookie running back Emmett Johnson.
Then it happened.
Bo Nix, Jonah Coleman, and this Denver Broncos defense stepped up and scored 15 unanswered 4th-quarter points and had an impressive goal-line stand with seconds left on the clock to win the game. Yet another improbable
4th quarter comeback, and one against a division rival in a game with a lot on the line for the Broncos. A loss would have put them well behind the Chiefs in the AFC West, while a win would have put them back at the top of the AFC West. It was an incredible and thrilling comeback victory, and despite all the naysayers, doubters, and, hell, even their play at times, the Denver Broncos are 6-2, the current 2 seed in the AFC, and leading the AFC West.
Stock up and stock down is a weekly series where I go through the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster and tell you which Broncos players’ stock is going up, down, or remains unchanged. After this huge win, we have a lot of players seeing their stock go up, but there are a few players who will see their stock trending in the wrong direction.
Quarterback
Bo Nix – Stock up: It wasn’t always pretty or perfect, but it was a classic Bo Nix game. He made some big-time throws in this game, but there were stretches of poor play (by everyone) and some annoying deflected passes. However, when the 4th quarter hit, Nix and the Broncos came alive and scored 15 unanswered points and came back to defeat their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Yet another 4th-quarter comeback win for Nix, who was dealing with a retired journeyman quarterback calling his play disrespectful and some media asking if he should be benched. Nix also gets another head-to-head win against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. The haters are going to continue to hate, but Nix just keeps winning football games.
Jarrett Stidham – Unchanged: Remains the Broncos’ veteran quarterback.
Sam Ehlinger – Unchanged: Remains the Broncos’ third-string quarterback.
Running Back
Jonah Coleman – Stock WAY up: After veteran JK Dobbins got some run to start the game, rookie Jonah Coleman took over and never looked back. He played 66% of the snaps, including the vast majority of the second-half snaps, and totaled over 100 yards from scrimmage. His highlight play was a 50+ yard catch-and-run late in the game that led to him scoring the go-ahead touchdown.
Now, the talk that the Broncos may trade for Jonathan Taylor or Breece Hall continues, but regardless, rookie running back Jonah Coleman has proven that he will be a key part of this offense moving forward.
JK Dobbins – Crashing stock: Is it over? It sure seems like it might be over for Dobbins. He finished the game with 7 carries for 13 yards and barely saw the field again after taking an 8-yard loss on one run play. Add in Jonah Coleman taking over the game in the second half and outproducing him, and things look dire. Also, if the Broncos do indeed make a big splash at running back, Dobbins time with the Broncos could come to an end. We’ll see, but things are trending in the wrong direction for Dobbins.
Cody Schrader – Unchanged: Was elevated from the practice squad but only saw 2 offensive snaps and 5 special teams snaps.
Adam Prentice – Unchanged: He has his role, and he fills it well. Remains the Broncos’ lead blocker and a key special teams player for them.
Wide Receiver
Jaylen Waddle – Stock up: The stat line will not wow you, but he had a pretty big impact on the game. He caught a touchdown pass from QB Bo Nix and later converted a two-point conversion, which ended up being very important later in the game. He did see his snap count come down a little, but he was likely held back a little bit due to his lingering chest/shoulder injury.
Courtland Sutton – Stock up: Saw 4 targets on Sunday and came away with 4 catches for 53 yards, which included an impressive catch off a deflection. He also drew the attention of the Chiefs’ defense on the Broncos’ two touchdown passes, so he had a noticeable impact on the game.
Marvin Mims Jr. – Unchanged: Sean Payton wanted to give Mims more touches and snaps, and he did. Mims saw 18 snaps on offense, but didn’t do a ton with those snaps. He had 2 catches for 10 yards, 2 rushes for 19 yards, and was solid in the return game. Pat Bryant is eligible to return next week, so Mims could see his role and snaps take a hit moving forward.
Troy Franklin – Unchanged: Franklin played 71% of the snaps but only saw 2 targets and had 1 catch for 3 yards. The playing time is there, but the production is not, and like Mims, the eventual return of Bryant will hurt their playing time and limit their opportunities.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey – Unchanged: He is who he is and fills his role on the Broncos.
Tight End
Evan Engram – Stock down: 3 targets for 0 catches and played 48% of the snaps. He’s out there, but still trailed Adam Trautman in snaps, and Nate Adkins now has 3 touchdowns this season to Engram’s 1. The production isn’t there, and he’s barely a part of the offense right now.
Adam Trautman – Stock up: He caught some passes! Had 2 catches for 30 yards, including a 22-yard catch-and-run late in the game. The Sean Payton favorite led all Broncos tight ends in snaps and catches this week, and he’ll likely continue leading them in this role moving forward.
Nate Adkins – Stock up: The Broncos touchdown specialist added another on Sunday and now leads the team with 3 touchdown receptions this year. He’s primarily a run-blocking specialist, but Adkins knows how to get open in the red zone and has become one of the team’s top red-zone threats this season.
Dallen Bentley – Unchanged: Remains inactive.
Offensive Line
Garett Bolles – Stock up: The Broncos All-Pro left tackle continues to be one of the best blindside blockers in the game.
Ben Powers – Unchanged: I did not notice Powers on Sunday, which is usually a good thing.
Luke Wattenberg – Unchanged: Like Powers, I did not notice Wattenberg on Sunday, but I am also no offensive line expert.
Quinn Meinerz – Stock up: Stud
Mike McGlinchey – Unchanged: I did notice him struggle a little bit a few times, but overall he seemed solid. Again, I am no offensive line expert.
Alex Palczewski – Unchanged: Remains the Broncos’ 6th offensive lineman and played 5 offensive snaps on Sunday.
Matt Peart – Unchanged: Played on special teams.
Alex Forsyth – Unchanged: Played on special teams.
Kage Casey – Unchanged: Remains inactive.
Defensive Line
Zach Allen – Stock up: Remains a stud and the centerpiece of the Broncos’ dominant defensive line.
DJ Jones – Unchanged: The Broncos’ run defense was solid up the middle and held Kenneth Walker in check on Sunday.
Malcolm Roach – Stock up: Roach has been excellent and one of the more underrated and overlooked parts of this defense. His sack of Patrick Mahomes to end the game will be on the end-of-season highlight reel.
Eyioma Uwazurike – Unchanged: Played 45% of the defensive snaps and remains a valuable rotational defensive lineman who allows Zach Allen to take some snaps off.
Sai’vion Jones – Unchanged: Played 23% of the snaps and has earned a valuable rotational defensive lineman for the Broncos.
Jordan Jackson – Unchanged: Was inactive again.
Tyler Onyedim – Unchanged: The rookie remains inactive.
Linebacker
Alex Singleton – Stock up: Singleton has 101 total tackles this year and is on pace for 200+ tackles. He has put together a good stretch of games and has been a very reliable tackler for the Broncos. He also had a sack in back-to-back games, and his sack knocked the Chiefs into deep field-goal range, which led to the critical missed field goal by Harrison Butker.
Justin Strnad – Stock down: Strnad has been a solid player for the Broncos, but he had a tough one on Sunday. He had a missed tackle on rookie running back Emmett Johnson that led to a field goal for the Chiefs before halftime.
Jordan Turner – Unchanged: Played 21 snaps, all on special teams.
Karene Reid – Unchanged: Played 20 snaps, all on special teams.
Cornerback
Pat Surtain II – Stock up: PS2 is back and played 100% of the snaps on Sunday
Riley Moss – Stock up: Was fully back from his injury and played 100% of the snaps vs. the Chiefs
Ja’Quan McMillian – Stock up: Played 81% of the snaps and continues to be the top slot cornerback in the NFL with me.
Jahdae Barron – Stock down: With Surtain and Moss back and playing 100% of the snaps and played just 4 snaps on Sunday.
Kris Abrams-Draine – Stock down: Played 0 snaps on defense and at one point, left the game with an injury. With PS2 and Moss back, KAD is back to being the CB5.
Safety
Talanoa Hufanga – Unchanged: He was inactive again but did return to practice and could be back next week vs. the Panthers.
Brandon Jones – Unchanged: Left the game with a hamstring injury, and we’ll have to see his status moving forward.
Devon Key – Stock up: With Hufanga and Jones sidelined, Key played 71% of the snaps on Sunday while continuing his role on special teams.
Taylor Rapp – Unchanged: Continued to replace Talanoa Hufanga on defense and had a few rough moments and should see his role go back to being a reserve with Hufanga nearing a return.
JL Skinner – Stock up: He stuffed Kenneth Walker at the goal line to bring up a 4th down with under 10 seconds left in the game. A huge game-saving tackle by Skinner, who showed off his ability at the LOS. Can he maybe play some linebacker?
Tycen Anderson – Unchanged: Remained a standout special teams player.
Special Teams
Wil Lutz – Unchanged: Went 2 for 2 and continued to be a reliable and consistent kicker for the Broncos.
Jeremy Crawshaw – Unchanged: Was solid once again on Sunday, but did have a few iffy kicks.
Mitchell Fraboni – Unchanged: Good snaps.
