3 things we learned from Broncos’ preseason loss to Bills

Brett Rypien is keeping the backup QB race interesting

Josh Johnson was given the start for the second week in a row and he should be the clear favorite to win the No. 2 quarterback job behind Russell Wilson this year. But Brett Rypien is certainly keeping things interesting and was the better of the two in this game.

Johnson played the first half but completed just 50 percent of his passes (8 of 16) for 70 yards. He led the team to two field goals.

Rypien played the second half and with the Broncos trailing big for that entire time, he was given the chance to drop back and let it rip quite a bit.

Rypien completed 22 of his 26 pass attempts in the game and he had 191 yards passing on the day. In the fourth quarter, he finally directed the Broncos on a touchdown-scoring drive, finding Eric Saubert in the back of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown pass.

Both quarterbacks should expect to get work against the Vikings and this competition could come down to that game. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos keep three quarterbacks on the roster, regardless of who wins this job.