5 winners (and 4 losers) from the Broncos' preseason loss against Packers

It wasn't the prettiest game, nor the best showcase of the Denver Broncos' depth down the roster, but the final score of the game was a footnote compared to the headliner: The return of quarterback Bo Nix.

Nix made his return to the field for the Broncos, and looked really good. We're going to unpack that performance, as well as a number of other big winners and losers from the Broncos' tough preseason Week 2 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

As is always the case with preseason games, you can learn a lot, even if the games don't have real consequences. Which players stood out the most, for better or worse?

Let's take a look at the biggest winners (and the unfortunate 'losers') for the Denver Broncos in their preseason matchup against the Green Bay Packers.

Denver Broncos' biggest winners and losers from preseason game vs. Packers

Bo Nix, QB -- Winner

How about this for a final stat line from Broncos quarterback Bo Nix, who was making his first official return to the field since his devastating ankle injury against the Bills in the playoffs?

• 6-of-9 passing
• 76 yards
• 1 TD
• 129.9 passer rating

Yeah, that'll do.

Nix did exactly what everyone was hoping for in his debut this preseason, and it might end up being the last time we see him before the start of the regular season. The Broncos' offensive operation wasn't flawless, which is why Nix's second drive with the ball resulted in a field goal instead of a touchdown, but he did an excellent job pushing the ball to every level of the field, including a couple of huge plays to Jaylen Waddle and RJ Harvey.

And there were absolutely no ill effects of Nix's ankle injury, as expected. He did a great job moving around when he needed to, working off of play-action, and doing a fair amount from under center as well.

Jaylen Waddle, WR -- Winner

To say the Denver Broncos needed this from Jaylen Waddle is an understatement. Here is Waddle, working from the slot, creating a ton of separation from the defensive back and making a huge play downfield.

Just one target, one catch, and 35 yards is all it took for Waddle to prove to everyone in Broncos Country why this team traded so much to get him. He has such a valuable skill set that is unlike anything else in the receiver room for the Broncos.

It's the separation at the top of this route, the ability after the catch, and even making a play in the middle of the field. In combination with the reports of Waddle scoring a 60-yard touchdown in camp earlier in the week, it looks like he might be the missing piece, indeed.

Jarrett Stidham, QB -- Loser

When we saw Jarrett Stidham against the Falcons in the first week of the preseason, he was absolutely phenomenal. He almost completely erased any doubts about the security of his job as the QB2 in Denver.

He was bad enough against the Packers to re-open that discussion.

The operation offensively just completely stalled when Stidham came into the game, and the Packers' defense was able to force an immediate 3-and-out. Some negative plays out of Stidham's control (4-yard loss by Jaleel McLaughlin, missed DPI call on Dane Key, tough 4th-down chance for Lil'Jordan Humphrey) contributed to his rough day, but an interception on a forced throw before the end of the first half was inexplicable.

This isn't the way you solidify a QB2 job, especially with a cap hit of $8 million...

Que Robinson, OLB -- Winner

To the surprise of absolutely nobody, Que Robinson really flashed with his speed and athleticism on multiple occasions.

Robinson was flagged for "roughing the passer" on a hit that would have been celebrated by the NFL community 10 years ago, but he was flagged for all of his weight falling on Packers backup QB Tyrod Taylor on a full-speed play near the sideline.

Regardless of the penalty, Robinson's closing speed on that particular rep was outrageous to witness, and he made sure to get a clean one later in the game on 3rd-string QB Kyle McCord. McCord might be seeing Robinson in his nightmares after this one:

This is a filthy move by Robinson off the edge, and he finishes the play well. You love to see that.

Hakeem Butler, WR -- Loser

In both of the Broncos' preseason games, Hakeem Butler has gotten at least a few looks on downfield plays to prove what made him the UFL Offensive Player of the Year this past season is translatable to the big leagues.

He hasn't capitalized on any of them.

Against the Packers, Butler got a golden opportunity to convert a Jarrett Stidham pass for a touchdown, but he couldn't make the grab. He had another chance to at least set the Broncos up close to the goal line, if not score himself, but he overran a back-shoulder pass attempt. Missing those types of opportunities will absolutely cost Butler a chance to make the team, however remote it may have been in the first place.

Backups in the trenches -- Loser

Unfortunately, it felt like the Broncos' backup offensive line really struggled in this game. It also felt like the backup defenisve line units got gashed on the ground.

The Packers won this game at the line of scrimmage, and that's really not something the Broncos can tolerate this coming week of practice. It's something they have to take personal.

Broncos running backs had 35 yards on 15 rushing attempts through the first three quarters of the game, and simply nobody could break free. The quick passing game was brutal to watch. There were way too many penalties.

Defensively, the Packers had a lot of room to run throughout the course of the game, and the Broncos' pass rush was once again not really getting home.

Special teams -- Loser

The Broncos' special teams unit gave up some uncomfortably big returns in this game, including a 68-yard kickoff return by Pierre Strong Jr. and a 16-yard punt return by Skyy Moore.

On top of that, the Broncos also had an illegal kick out of bounds from Wil Lutz in this game resulting in the Packers getting great starting field position, and they scored a touchdown on that particular drive.

Maybe to really clarify this one, we should note that the 'loser' here would be the Broncos' coverage unit on both kickoff and punt. They have to be better than what we saw against Green Bay.

Davis Webb, Offensive Coordinator -- Winner

Two preseason games for Davis Webb as the offensive coordinator, two pretty resounding successes.

This note from Parker Gabriel was a huge one during the game:

It looks like the opening drive script for Davis Webb is working out extremely well at this point. Webb has done a great job of building in balance to the game plan, mixing the run with the pass. He's also done a really good job of mixing under-center looks with shotgun looks.

Regardless of how, the touchdowns are what matters most. The Broncos struggled a lot last season to get off to hot starts offensively, and they were one of the worst teams in the NFL on opening drives. Webb is doing his part to change that narrative.

RJ Harvey, RB -- Winner

Let's end it with one more big winner of the game: running back RJ Harvey

Harvey is one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL, and not enough people are willing to acknowledge that yet. He has such strong hands, and is so underrated as a route runner.

This is exactly the type of play the Broncos have been trying to unlock since last season with Harvey, because he can be such a weapon in the vertical passing game. And with this on tape, it's going to open things up for so many other players on the offense.

Even though Harvey is (understandably) criticized for his running between the tackles, he's a top-tier weapon in the passing game, and this play is further proof of that.

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