The NFL schedule takes a brutal toll on virtually every team in the league, and it’s tough to find exceptions to that rule. The Denver Broncos were just that, though, as they were able to extend their 11-game win streak well into the second half of the season, and that feat was a big part of the Broncos landing the top spot in the AFC West.
Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus recognized the importance of this in a recent piece in which he listed five “second-half risers.” Some of his positional choices were obvious—e.g., quarterback Brock Purdy of the San Francisco 49ers—but one surprise was at center as he named center Luke Wattenberg of the Broncos.
Casual fans don’t know the name, but Denver fans sure do. Wattenberg is a linchpin in an offensive line that was also rated the best in the NFL by PFF, and he was so good that the Broncos gave him an extension late in the season during their bye week.
PFF’s grades reflect Wattenberg’s improvement in the second half, but there’s also some context here that needs to be recognized. His grade during first nine weeks of the season was 64.9, which is a good grade based on the fact that Wattenberg allowed just seven pressures and zero sacks.
In the second half that grade number jumped even more, as Wattenberg graded out at 80.1 in the last nine weeks of the season. He allowed just six pressures during that stretch, but the line improved considerably, and much of that improvement was based on injuries.
Specifically, the Broncos lost left guard Ben Powers to a biceps tear early in the season. Then Powers’ backup, Matt Peart, went out with the same injury, which hurt a lot of the cohesion up front that helps determine Wattenberg’s grade. The Broncos went through a stretch of games where they were playing two more backup lineman, so it isn't surprising that it took a while for everything to come together. By the end of the season, though, the Broncos had a full complement up front, including All-Pros Quinn Meinerz at guard and Garrett Bolles at tackle.
There was some frustration to go with all this, though. Despite their standout line, the Broncos still couldn’t get any kind of a running game going, although they did excel at protecting quarterback Bo Nix. Improving the run game will be a primary focus this spring and summer in OTAs and training camp, and Wattenberg will undoubtedly be a pivotal part of that effort.