The Lead
In his most recent Football Morning in America column, NBC Sports' Peter King looked to Denver's trenches and selected left tackle Garett Bolles as one of his four picks for offensive player of the week.
Bolles' sterling performance was particularly noteworthy because of who it came against: Cleveland Browns defensive end and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Myles Garrett, who Bolles called the best pass rusher in the NFL.
"[Bolles] held Myles Garrett sackless in the 29-12 victory over Cleveland, and Garrett generated just two pressures of Russell Wilson in 13 matchups when they were one-on-one, per Next Gen Stats," King wrote. "Cleveland has been terrorizing quarterbacks, and Bolles led a strong day of protection against the Browns' front seven, which generated only one sack."
Head Coach Sean Payton said Bolles' ability to approach his challenge with a physical style of play was a major takeaway from the game tape.
"He's extremely athletic," Payton said of Bolles on Monday. "Man, he played his butt off yesterday. [He] had a tough assignment. We knew that was going to be a challenge. He was going up against one of the better defensive players. To his credit, when we watched the tape, man, he battled. We did a handful of things over there to help slow down Myles. He's experienced, he's athletic. The chemistry of that room has really changed, and it's really been an asset for our club."
Along with his success in pass protection, Bolles helped Denver record a season-high rushing yardage total and score 29 points, the Broncos' third-highest scoring output this season.
Bolles chalked the performance up to simply handling the task at hand and doing his part in the Broncos' offensive efforts.
"[I'm] just doing my job, that's all it is," Bolles said after the game. "If I play my game, this team can go as far as we need it to go. I just believed in myself, I just believed in what I needed to do.
"… Sometimes when you go against a juggernaut, it's a heavyweight title fight. Sometimes you just have got to keep swinging and keep swinging until the clock hits zero, and that's exactly what I did."
Right tackle Mike McGlinchey disagreed with Bolles' suggestion that it was a team effort, highlighting his fellow tackle as the reason the Broncos slowed Garrett down.
"Certainly that's very humble of Garett Bolles, but … he was matched up against [Myles Garrett] all night," McGlinchey said. "To keep that guy off the stat sheet is a very, very impressive accomplishment, and certainly this will be a game [Bolles] remembers for a long time, because he had a hell of a night."
Now in his seventh season with the Broncos, Bolles said his outing on Sunday afternoon validated the belief he had in himself throughout his football career and demonstrated his potential as a pass protector.
"This is who I am," Bolles said. "… I knew I could play at this level for a very long time. … This is just one step in my journey. I've had highs, I've had lows, but I just need to keep doing what I need to do. I have great teammates around me, great people that love and support me, and I couldn't be more grateful to be a part of this organization."
