The Denver Broncos are on the road this week to face the Arizona Cardinals in their preseason opener on Friday night.
Broncos coach Sean Payton announced last week that Denver will play its starters in preseason, but just how much playing time those starters will get in Arizona remains to be seen.
“I don’t look at length, I look at snaps,” Payton said on Aug. 7. “I don’t know — 15 snaps, 17, 18 snaps. Somewhere in there. Phase 1, then Phase 2, then Phase 3.
“You could be in Phase 1 on offense and Phase 2 on defense because the game started with maybe a lot of plays where your defense was on the field, if that makes any sense. It’s not time in the game, it’s really more of a pitch count for these guys.”
In other words, the Broncos’ starters do not have a set time (such as a quarter), but rather a set snap count. So if their opening drive lasts 15 plays, that could be it for Russell Wilson and the other starters. But if the team goes three-and-out on back-to-back drives, the offense would presumably go back out for a third drive.
So it’s unclear exactly what time in the game Denver’s starters will return to the sideline, but fans should expect around 15 plays or so on Friday night.
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