Grading the Week: Charlie Blackmon’s Soggy Bottom production, Nazem Kadri’s redemption and Nebraska’s fall football delusions

Another week, another football season waives goodbye.

Last week, it was Colorado’s prep athletes. This week, it’s Colorado’s college athletes.

For the love of all that is holy — and, yes, that includes Broncos football (most of the time) — let’s do everything we can to make sure the train stops there. The Grading the Week staff can’t take much more of this.

Nebraska — F

There’s reality, and then there’s whatever is going on inside the state of Nebraska.

We got a taste of both this week when the Big Ten postponed its fall football season, and the University of Nebraska stomped its collective feet and declared the Huskers were playing anyway.

Exactly who their opponents would be — or how they could do so and also compete in a spring Big Ten season — was a mystery. And one, frankly, it appears they hadn’t even considered prior to throwing a university-wide tantrum.

Athletic director Bill Moos admitted as much two days later when he conceded a fall schedule “was not permissible.”

Not a great look for a program that hasn’t delivered so much as a ham sandwich since joining the B1G in 2011.

It’s one thing to be unified in purpose. It’s quite another to be unified in delusion.

For a group charged with being the adults on campus, NU’s coaches and administrators failed miserably.

Charlie Blackmon — A+

The hitting streak is over. The Rockies’ hold on first place in the NL West is tenuous.

But everyone’s favorite LoDo Soggy Bottom Boy is putting together a season worthy of MVP chatter.

The numbers entering this weekend’s series with the Texas Rangers: .472/.506/.681 with six doubles, 20 RBIs and 12 multi-hit games in 18 played. Thin air or not, those are some insane stats. Keep this up, and Colorado just might make some Rocktober noise.

As for whether a .400 season would “count” in this year’s 60-game sprint… well, let’s get back to that at a later date.

Nuggets’ depth — C

Michael Porter Jr. stole our hearts back in January. Bol Bol had us swooning just a couple of weeks ago. Heck, we’ve even enjoyed several moments of the PJ Dozier Experience.

But wouldn’t it be nice for the Nuggets to actually have a full roster when their playoff series against the Utah Jazz begins Monday?

Where have you gone, Will Barton and Gary Harris? Nuggets Nation turns its lonely eyes to you.

There’s no way Denver gets to the Western Conference finals without them.

Nazem Kadri — A

Nazem Kadri’s last two trips to the playoffs were defined by the times he didn’t play — both due to suspensions while with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2018 and ’19. It appears he’s making up for lost time with the Avalanche.

A critical piece of Colorado’s offseason depth makeover, the 29-year-old forward has played with noticeable intensity through the first two playoff games and has been a catalyst in both wins.

In Game 1, that translated into seven shots on goal and the gritty game-winner in the third period. In Game 2, Kadri had only one shot, but it was a big one — a spinning wrister from the left side that caromed directly to Andre Burakovsky for the game-winner with less than three minutes to go.

As my esteemed colleague Mark Kiszla pointed out earlier this week, such determination is how playoff hockey series are won.

The best part: We even got to watch it (legally).