5 key takeaways from the Broncos preseason win against the Colts

Denver Broncos football is back. On Sunday, the Broncos defeated the Indianapolis Colts in their first preseason game by a 34-30 score at Lucas Oil Stadium. Bo Nix, alongside the rest of the 2024 rookie class, made their respective NFL debuts.

What were the key takeaways from what was such an important preseason game?

1. The Broncos offense will be way better with Bo Nix:

Denver's first-round draft pick had an impressive first NFL game. The Broncos had points on every Nix drive except one, where tight end Lucas Krull had a fumble and Indianapolis recovered. Before getting into details, here is Bo's final stat line.

Nix entered the game following two Jarrett Stidham drives (the first ended with a punt and the second with an interception). During his first drive, the former Oregon quarterback had two consecutive incompletions but threw a 22-yard dart to Courtland Sutton, converting a third down for his first completion. The first drive with Nix under center finished with a 41-yard field goal by Wil Lutz.

On the second drive, Bo looked aggressive, escaping pressure with two runs, one for six yards and the other for 11. The drive finished with a one-yard Marvin Mims touchdown from Nix on third down and goal.

If Bo is the starter, which is the most likely outcome for the Broncos, this offense will be way better than the 2023 one. Stidham looked similar to how he played in those two final games last season, a bit conservative with check-down passes. He had good completions to Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick though. Zach Wilson also looked good in his Denver Broncos debut. One key factor is the sacks as no quarterback took a sack during the win over the Colts.