Denver Broncos offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz has been having a tremendous year thus far. After an All-Pro campaign in 2025, Meinerz has been at the front and center of the Broncos' offensive line as a shining example of one of the best guards in the game.
Earlier this season, Meinerz went viral for tossing Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald around, subsequently getting a summons for a league-sanctioned drug test
.There was no question about this latest pancake block, though. In Denver's Week 9 win over the Carolina Panthers, Meinerz laid the boom on Panther pass-rusher Princely Umanmielen, who started on Mike McGlinchey before unwisely choosing to spin to the inside. Meinerz's hit knocked Umanmielen clean off his feet and onto the Bank of America
Stadium turf.
You can see the hit below.
Inside spin to an uncovered OL… Goodnight✌🏼
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) November 8, 2026
cc: Meinerz @aqshipley pic.twitter.com/iN9dd4hh7X
For his part, Umanmielen had a funny response to the hit when asked about it by Carolina media.
"I was rushing; I felt the o-lineman (McGlinchey); I felt — how do I even explain this — I felt like a spin there because he was on the back of my shoulder, and as soon as I spin back, I got baptized," Umanmielen said on Monday. "That was probably the hardest hit I ever took in my career."
You can see Umanmielen's full comments on the hit below.
I had to ask Princely Umanmielen about “that play”
— Sheena Quick (@Sheena_Marie3) November 9, 2026
Princely; “I got baptized!” pic.twitter.com/Gp0SvYIsPi
Meinerz was a finalist for the NFL's inaugural Protector of the Year award for offensive linemen in 2025, and with his recent performances, there is every reason to believe that he'll once again be a finalist in 2026.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Broncos’ Quinn Meinerz had another huge block on Sunday (this was the DL’s response)
