The Denver Broncos thoroughly defeated the Green Bay Packers 27-2 at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 2 of preseason action on Sunday night. Here are ten quick notes and takeaways from the victory.
1. Injury report: Nine players were held out, eight of them due to ailments. Notable among the injured players are safety Brandon Jones (hamstring) and guard Ben Powers (ribs). Jones also missed the team’s preseason opener last week. We’ll see if he suits up for the preseason finale on Aug. 25.
2. Tim Patrick is making the team: My 53-man roster prediction last week had Denver carrying five wide receivers, and Patrick was not among them. I’m sorry, Tim. The 30-year-old receiver was targeted four times on Sunday and hauled in all four targets for 30 yards and a touchdown. Tim Patrick is back.
3. Troy Franklin is invisible: Has anyone seen Denver’s fourth-round draft pick? Franklin is now two preseason games into his NFL career and he does not have a single reception. The Broncos have a very crowded wide receiver room and Franklin certainly isn’t standing out.
4. Samaje Perine’s stock continues to fall: Perine rushed five times for 16 yards on Sunday, an average of 3.2 yards per tote. He added one reception for five yards. The aging running back seems to be trending toward becoming a cap casualty this summer.
5. Keidron Smith is making a case: The second-year safety has grabbed an interception in each of the team’s first two preseason games. Denver has a crowded secondary, but Smith is doing all he can to make the squad.
6. Tyler Badie scores yet again: It’s very hard to imagine there being room for Baide on the 53-man roster, but he has a great habit of scoring almost every time he touches the ball. Badie has two touchdowns through two weeks of preseason this summer and one career score in the regular season off of one catch. He should be a top practice squad candidate.
7. Kris Abrams-Draine is a promising cornerback: After impressing in the team’s preseason opener, the fifth-round draft pick played well again on Sunday. He ended the day with three tackles and one pass breakup, and he was also involved on special teams.
8. Jonah Elliss continues to impress: Two games, two sacks for Elliss. His strip sack against the Packers led to a field goal. Elliss also has essentially forced a pair of interceptions with his pressure. The rookie is currently the fourth outside linebacker on the depth chart, but his stock is rising.
9. Zach Wilson might beat out Jarrett Stidham: Assuming the Broncos start Bo Nix, the backup job will go to Stidham or Wilson. Stidham is three years older, but Wilson has 29 more career starts and he’s still young enough to have some upside. Stidham is who he is at this point in his career.
10. Bo Nix is the obvious QB1: Seven drives, six scores (and the only turnover wasn’t his fault). Nix is 23-of-30 passing for 205 yards with two touchdowns through two preseason games, and he’s also made plays with his legs. Denver has found its QB of the future — and present — in Nix.
