Mile High Report
The Denver Broncos have one of the best offensive lines in the National Football League according to several outlets and metrics.
Many football games are decided in the trenches. While the Denver Broncos sport a 5-5 record and their total wins might not reflect that, their offensive and defensive line play has been much improved compared to their 2023 campaign.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Broncos’ offensive line has surrendered the fewest quarterback pressures in the National Football League. By their analysis, they have only given up 60 through 10 games. This week ahead of their matchup with the Atlanta Falcons, they ranked Denver’s offensive line as the second-best unit in the league behind only the Detroit Lions.
Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz, and Mike McGlinchey are the three highest-rated lineman for the Broncos this season. In fact, Bolles’ 78.7 overall grade is one of the highest of left tackles in the league, but his 10 penalties are tied for the fourth-most in the NFL. It will be interesting to see if Bolles earns a contract extension from the team or chooses another destination in free agency. For the most part, I think he has played very well this season.
But PFF isn’t the only outlet ranking the Broncos highly. ESPN has the Broncos offensive line as the best pass blocking unit and the seventh-best run blocking unit. Denver has spent a lot of money upgrading their offensive line and it’s good to see that their investments are paying off in that regard.
However, it’s just not the offensive line who deserves some credit. The change in quarterbacks likely has something to do with the uptick in the Broncos’ rankings this season. Russell Wilson was known for taking bad sacks and holding onto the ball too long. Even though he is a rookie, Bo Nix has done a great job of avoiding pressure, escaping sacks, and throwing the ball away when necessary.
There’s a significant difference in the number of negative plays between the two quarterbacks. No doubt that has an influence on the rankings. If the Broncos’ offensive line can continue to hold their own in the seven remaining games, it will definitely give the Broncos a good shot at making the postseason.
