Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz got off to a slow start this season after putting 'a lot of pressure on myself'

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – On the heels of signing a four-year, $80 million contract extension and being named a Broncos captain for the first time, there was plenty of pressure on Quinn Meinerz to start this season.

The fourth-year guard admits he didn’t handle it as well as he had hoped.

Meinerz got off to a shaky start in losses to open the season of 26-20 at Seattle and 13-6 at home against Pittsburgh. But he had a much better outing in last Sunday’s 26-7 win at Tampa Bay.

“I think I’ve definitely put a lot of pressure on myself, and I think I’ve taken responsibility for my performances the first couple of weeks,’’ Meinerz said after a practice Thursday at The Greenbrier. “I think as I am getting used to pressure day in and day out and getting more comfortable with this and being in this role and being in this realm, I’m looking to keep continuing to grow, grabbing those percentages throughout the week to keep playing my game, my brand of football and to get back to doing things I do.”

Meinerz had Pro Football Focus grades of 43.1 against the Seahawks and 62.3 against the Steelers before having a stellar 76.7 against the Buccaneers.

It wasn’t just Meinerz who struggled in the first two games, it was the entire offensive line. But the line did much better against the Buccaneers, which included Pro Football Focus giving it the fifth-best pass-blocking rate among NFL teams in Week 3.

“In the first two games, we knew that what we were doing wasn’t good enough to win,’’ said Meinerz, whose Broncos next play Sunday at the New York Jets. “I said that at the beginning of the year that games are won and lost on us and in our room. So, we were just extremely motivated with this away game to put some of our best stuff on tape and to take control of the game and do what we’re supposed to do.”

After averaging 11 points (excluding two safeties at Seattle) and 263 yards on offense in the first two games, the Broncos had more than double as many points and 352 yards at Tampa Bay. And they did it with Alex Palczewski having moved in as the starter at right tackle after Mike McGlinchey was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.

“We have a lot of confidence in (Palczewski),’’ said Denver offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. “I think he played very well.”

Williams, McLaughlin struggle

Thanks to Tyler Badie and Bo Nix, the Broncos had a season-high 136 yards rushing against the Buccaneers. But there is still concern about their ground game.

Badie, who was elevated off the practice squad last Sunday and signed Wednesday to the 53-man roster, had 70 yards on nine carries and rookie quarterback Nix had 47 yards on nine carries with a 3-yard touchdown run. Yet starting running back Javone Williams had just 12 yards on five carries and reserve Jaleel McLaughlin seven yards on five carries.

Williams, with 24 attempts for 52 yards, and McLaughlin, with 18 for 40, are both averaging just 2.2 yards per carry this season.

“The run game is one of those things where not every run is going to be a 20-yard gain, and you stick with it, thinking you know the players that you have,’’ Lombardi said. “Just because the stats tell you that they’re not gaining a bunch of yards doesn’t mean that they’ve all of a sudden turned to crap. So, you just keep handing them the ball and know that we’ll keep getting better, the plan will keep getting better and we’ll keep blocking better. Their big runs are coming.”

Moss more comfortable

After playing just 23 defensive snaps as a rookie, Riley Moss moved into Denver’s starting lineup in Week 1. He’s now played 184 of 190 snaps in three games and is getting more comfortable.

“The speed of the game has slowed down a lot for me,’’ said Moss, a third-round pick in 2023 out of Iowa. “I think that’s the biggest thing. There’s still things to improve on. It’s a long season and there’s ups and downs. … We had a saying at Iowa that the hay is never in the barn. So, you’re always working and trying to be the best you can be.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Moss was the highest-rated cornerback in the NFL in Week 3 with a grade of 91.1 at Tampa Bay. However, he doesn’t want to dwell on that.

“I gave up a touchdown and there’s some things I still need to work on,’’ Moss said. “It’s cool but at the same there’s work to be done and we got to keep grinding.”

Briefly

On a rainy Thursday, the Broncos practiced on an artificial turf field rather than on the grass. Sunday’s game at MetLife Stadium will be on turf. … Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton, out for the season with a torn right ACL suffered against the Buccaneers, watched the workout. “(Singleton’s injury) hurts a lot,’’ said defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. “Obviously, you lose one of your better players. … When you lose a player like Alex, everyone has to do more.’’ … Safety JL Skinner (ankle) again did not practice and is in line Sunday to miss his second straight game. Tight end Nate Adkins (shoulder) was limited for the second straight day and wide receiver Josh Reynolds (Achilles) was a full participant after being limited Wednesday. … Meinerz went bowling at The Greenbrier and it didn’t go well. “I brought my own ball and shoes, but they didn’t oil the lanes so as soon as I threw the ball it went straight into the gutter and then it came back to the return,’’ he said. “I had scratches on my ball. So, I stopped bowling and went to the arcade.”