Denver Broncos: Observations and reaction to win over Falcons
What else/what now?
Here are some other quick hitters from this game and where we go from here.
Backup QB
It’s clear, at this point, that Kevin Hogan is the Broncos’ backup quarterback and should be favored to remain so.
Drew Lock is going to have to win that job, and Brett Rypien is going to have to play well enough to warrant a roster spot as a QB3.
That will have to happen in the next month. It’s not impossible, by any means, but Hogan also played well enough in this game to keep his job and it wasn’t like he was teetering on the edge of being demoted anyway.
Hogan’s accuracy and timing still need work, but he made more plays in the passing game than the other QBs in this one.
No bad snaps
The good news from Connor McGovern and a couple of offensive line starters playing in this game? No bad snaps, no issues with backup defensive linemen. We can’t definitively say, “problem solved” but it wasn’t an issue in this game.
Noah Fant’s debut
There were some jitters for Fant, just like the rest of the 21 other rookies who have never played in an NFL game before. Fant dropped his first target of the game, but bounced back with a nice catch for a first down after that and broke open deep downfield on a play where Drew Lock overthrew him.
He had a holding penalty as well, but did a good job blocking for the most part. He looks like a really nice weapon out there.
Joe Jones, Billy Winn hurt
The Broncos are already missing Todd Davis at inside linebacker, but they also lost backup Joe Jones in this game to what is believed to be a triceps injury. He was getting an MRI to determine the severity, but the team was worried it was serious.
Winn also suffered an apparent triceps injury. Ironically, Winn’s first stint with the Broncos ended when he suffered a knee injury in the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears in 2017.
Horace Richardson, Trey Johnson play well
The Broncos’ defensive backfield was picked apart throughout much of this game by Kurt Benkert, but cornerbacks Horace Richardson and Trey Johnson both played quite well.
Richardson had five tackles and two tackles for loss, and showed he can play some in the nickel spot.
Johnson had the interception off of Dre’Mont Jones’ great pressure, and also finished the game with three passes defended.
dark. Next. Evaluating Drew Lock's preseason debut
Paxton Lynch on deck
The Broncos’ next preseason game will be next Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks. Paxton Lynch, a former first-round pick of the Broncos, is battling for a backup spot with Seattle.