Key takeaways from Broncos preseason loss to the 49ers

8. The negatives

As in every game, there are always negative things. For me, the negatives of the game against the San Francisco 49ers were:

• Third-string defense: Once again, and for the second consecutive week, the Denver Broncos' third-string defense allowed a game-winning drive to the opposing team's offense. Most of these players will be released ahead of the 53-man roster deadline, but if these guys would want to make a roster, these things must not happen, especially as preseason games are their only way to show out and play.
• Kendall Hinton & Jalen Virgil's injury: Kendall Hinton, the Broncos' emergency quarterback a few seasons ago, has had good games at the wide receiver position but has not stood out so far in the preseason. Despite having a good block on McLaughlin's TD run, he had two penalties and a drop. These are mistakes that you cannot have especially when fighting for a roster spot in a loaded wide receiver room, and as much as it hurts, I think that Hinton will not make the 53-man roster. Now, talking of Jalen Virgil, he did not play badly, had a huge 50-yard play, but he got injured at the end of it. He was carted off the field, and it did not look good. Virgil for the second consecutive game was making good plays...
• Ben DiNucci: Ben DiNucci, who shined last week, and is making a strong case to be the Broncos' QB2, had a rough game against San Francisco. Despite having a touchdown, he only completed three passes and was not able to close out the game.