Stock Up
QB Brett Rypien
The backup did a nice job Sunday, minus an interception on which he thought he had a free play right as the third quarter ended.
Otherwise, Rypien didn’t put the ball in harm’s way and used the quick passing game to his advantage. When the Cardinals played soft, he took easy yardage outside. For the most part, he played with anticipation, particularly on out-breaking routes to Brandon Johnson and Jerry Jeudy. And he responded after the interception by leading the Broncos on a 56-yard touchdown drive that put them up 17-9 with 11 minutes remaining.
RB Latavius Murray
The 32-year-old back has been a steadying force in the Broncos backfield since he arrived off of New Orleans’ practice squad in Week 5 after Javonte Williams’ season-ending injury. Sunday he put together his best outing of the season, rushing for 130 yards and a touchdown. In four starts since Melvin Gordon was cut, Murray is averaging 75.3 yards per game and 4.85 yards per carry. Murray doesn’t have breakaway speed anymore, but he’s got a good feel for Denver’s system at this point and has quickly earned respect in the locker room.
ILB Alex Singleton
There are plenty of others who played well on defense — like Justin Simmons, who continued his interception binge with two more, and DeShawn Williams (2.5 sacks) — but itap worth pointing out Singleton again. His crushing hit on quarterback Colt McCoy led to the overthrow on Simmons’ first pick. He finished with eight tackles and now has 124 for the season. Assuming he stays healthy, Singleton is going to log more tackles than any Broncos defender since D.J. Williams’ 170 in 2007.
CB Damarri Mathis
The former Pitt standout has started nine games in a row since Denver lost Ronald Darby to a torn ACL and has continued to get better and better. He’s pacing all Broncos rookies in snaps and looks like a nice find for general manager George Paton in the fourth round. On Sunday, he played his typically solid run support and also nearly logged a pick when he jumped a Trace McSorley throw on an out route. Has he pushed Darby into being a restructure/cut candidate after this season? Darby has one year left on his contract and carries a $13 million cap number into 2023.
Stock Down
K Brandon McManus
The veteran knocked home a 52-yarder in the first quarter but missed a 38-yarder later in the game. McManus is 17 of 20 from inside 50 yards this year, an 85% rate that puts him 26th in the NFL among kickers who have attempted at least 14 from that range. League-wide, 20 kickers have converted 90% or better from inside 50. McManus’ eight misses this year — he’s 24 of 32 — also ties for the NFL high.
OL Tom Compton
The most important thing as it pertains to Compton is that he suffered a back injury Sunday after missing the first 10 games of the season rehabbing from back surgery this past summer. While he was in the game, he struggled to block JJ Watt — no big shame in that. Thatap not to put all of Denver’s struggles in pass-pro on the veteran, of course. Compton, though, looked like a guy getting his first offensive snaps of the season.
WR Courtland Sutton
It is easy to wonder if Sutton might be in for a position change when he returns from the hamstring injury thatap sidelined him for the past two games. Thatap not to say he’s in danger of getting fully Wally Pipp’d by Jerry Jeudy, but Jeudy is certainly making his case by playing efficiently out of the “X” receiver spot. He’s looked like a No. 1 receiver recently and has speed and after-the-catch ability that Sutton hasn’t shown this season. No doubt about it, the Broncos will more than happily welcome Sutton back when he’s healthy and will count on him heavily in 2023, but in what role? Jeudy may have something to say about that.
Dubious franchise records
For much of the season, it looked as though long-ago Broncos coach Mac Speedie might get off the hook as the coach of the worst offense in franchise history (14 points per game in 1966). After back-to-back three-touchdown outings, the 2022 Broncos are up to 15.6 points per game. Thatap not good by any measure and still ranks last in the NFL but it does mean that if Denver scores 20 total points in the final three games, it will avoid being the worst ever by a Broncos team. At the risk of speaking too soon, that seems pretty manageable. Sorry, Mac.
