Recap-
8/11/16- Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
It’s only preseason game number one, but that was one heck of a start for the Denver Broncos as they dominated the Chicago Bears from the opening kick, delivering a 22-0 victory. With all eyes on the offense coming into the game, the defense–as it did for the entire 2015 season–stole the show, and decided to come out and pitch a shutout. While the defense was undoubtedly the star of the game, it was an extremely balanced attack all night long as the Broncos got scores from all three phases in the game. The position that everyone wanted to see–the quarterbacks–performed well altogether, but also provided no answers as to who will be the Broncos starting
quarterback come September 8th. Head Coach Gary Kubiak stuck to the script he laid out as Mark Sanchez played for the entire first quarter, Trevor Siemian the second, and rookie Paxton Lynch played the entire second half.
Sanchez and the Broncos offense started strong, as Sanchez completed 7 of 8 passes on the drive, converting all 3 third down tries, the last of which resulted in a 32 yard touchdown strike to Demaryius Thomas. The defense was as dominant as ever, sacking Bears quarterback Jay Cutler twice, and gave Sanchez and the offense two more possessions in the first quarter. On the games second offensive possession, Sanchez’s demons reared their ugly head as he threw a bad interception on a Gary Kubiak signature bootleg.
And there is Sanchez's problem.. Ill-timed pick.. #DENvsCHI
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) August 12, 2016
The final possession for Sanchez ended in a three and out, as Sanchez badly overthrew Bennie Fowler down the left sideline. Sanchez ended the night 10 for 13 for 99 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT.
Trevor Siemian performed well overall in the second quarter, as he lead the second team offense to two field goals. On his first possession he made several nice passes, and threw a strike to Bennie Fowler on a back shoulder fade to the end zone, however Fowler couldn’t hold on and the offense had to settle for a 37 yard Brandon McManus field goal. Late in the first half, Lorenzo Doss intercepted Brian Hoyer, setting up Siemian for a chance to drive the offense down the field with 35 seconds to go in the half. After a short completion to TE Jeff Heuerman, Siemian threw a terrific pass down the right sideline to Jordan Taylor with 5 seconds remaining in the half. Unfortunately the 48 yard field goal attempt was blocked to cap off an otherwise dominant first half of football. Siemian ended the half 7 for 12 for 88 yards, no touchdowns and no INT’s.
The second half marked the professional debut for the Broncos first round pick, rookie Paxton Lynch. Lynch had a relatively good showing overall, completing 6 for 7 for 74 yards, and led the three QB’s in both passer rating–110.7–and yards per attempt at 10.6.
Lynch had his moments of struggles, taking 3 sacks in the game–albeit behind a very poor line–and had trouble a few times getting the ball out quickly enough as he showed his inexperience from the pocket. However there were also plays that dazzled, showing why John Elway traded up in the first round to get this kid. He showed great accuracy on every throw he had–the only incompletion being a throwaway on a broken play in which he scrambled away from a would-be sack. He made many nice quick throws, and threw an absolute strike to Jordan Taylor across the middle of the field. 7 ti
With all this said, Lynch was unable to lead a scoring drive for the Broncos, although it should be noted that he twice had the team in field goal range–the first of which was a missed 46 yard attempt–and the other time was moved back by multiple penalties.
The Broncos first, second, third and fourth string defenders were all dominant in this game, sacking the Bears collection of quarterbacks 7 times, all without star pass rushers Von Miller and Demarcus Ware. The defense as a whole forced 6 punts–one of which was blocked a picked up in the end zone for a touchdown. They also forced a turnover on downs, and chipped in on the scoring action, as linebacker Dekoda Watson sacked David Fales in the end zone for a safety in the third quarter.
The Broncos as a whole picked right back up where they left off in Super Bowl 50, as this was as dominant a performance as could have possibly been expected by the defending champs. The second game could provide more clarity on who will become the Broncos starting quarterback, or could just cloud the decision even further. The Broncos face off against the San Francisco 49ers next Saturday at Sports Authority Field.
Players that Popped–
Wide Reciever Cody Latimer–
For the past two years, Cody Latimer has not come close to living up to his draft status, as he has flashed at times during practice, but been relatively non-existent on Sundays. Today, however, Latimer looked like the player that Elway envisioned when he used a second round pick on the Indiana product, as Latimer lead the team in both receptions–7–and yards–82. It wasn’t just
the catches that caught the eye, but it was the work after the catch that was really impressive. Latimer was thought early in camp to possibly be a bubble player, but a performance like this should solidify his status on the final 53-man roster.
Defensive End Adam Gotsis–
The thunder from down under, Adam Gotsis has been a name that hasn’t been thrown around too much during Champ Camp, as he has been working his way back from an injury was on full display tonight, showing why Bill Kolar was banging the table for this guy on draft night. The thing that stands out most with Gotsis is the motor that doesn’t stop. He didn’t get a lot of snaps, but it seemed every time he was in there he was sticking out, and looked near unblockable on his move to the inside. The play that stood out the most was the one he didn’t quite make, as Chicago running back Jacquizz Rodgers took a screen pass down the left sideline. Gotsis came out of nowhere nearly chasing Rodgers down as he dove at the ankles of Rodgers, nearly bringing him down, but slowing him up enough for his teammates to clean up the rest. Once thought of as a player that may need some time adjusting to the NFL game, he may end up starting opposite Derek Wolfe at the DE position.
Outside Linebacker Shane Ray–
Shane Ray looked outstanding, starting in place of Von Miller who got the veterans night off while he works his way back into full game shape. While he only registered a half sack, Ray popped off the screen throughout the entire first quarter, showing off his speed, and newfound physique as he seemed to be in the face of Jay Cutler on nearly every play. Ray has talked this camp about getting stronger this offseason, and the early results are very strong. Ray could become an every down player if Demarcus Ware cannot shake his recurring back issue.
Defensive End Jared Crick-
Like Gotsis, Crick was consistently destroying his man to the inside, pressuring Brian Hoyer several times in the second quarter and sacking him on one occasion. It is going to be hard to keep Crick off the field on third down if he can play at this level on a regular basis. Between him and Adam Gotsis, replacing Malik Jackson may prove to be easier than anyone could have imagined.
A Few Extra Tidbits From the Game-
- The Broncos escaped the night essentially injury free. Nose tackle Darius Kilgo was assisted off the field at one point, but didn’t appear to be anything serious.
- Second year linebacker Zaire Anderson scored a touchdown on the blocked punt by Bennie Fowler late in the second quarter. He also made noteworthy plays on the defensive side of the ball, as he battles with Todd Davis and Corey Nelson for the second inside linebacker position.
- The Broncos will end up having to cut some real talent this season, as depth is the name of their game. There will be players that don’t make this roster that could end up starting for other teams around the league.