2017 Broncos' Season, Pre-Season Week 3


There's nothing like my annual trek to Mile High for a Broncos game, especially when they win.

Pre-Season Week 3: Broncos 20, Green Bay Packers 17
Pre-Season Record: 3-0 (1-0 Home)
Key Play: In the third quarter with time running down and the Broncos nursing a 13-10 lead, rookie third string QB Kyle Sloter took the field and connected with Hunter Sharp on a 21-yard TD strike to make the score 20-10. The Broncos held on to win.

Recap: You play to win the game. From that standpoint, the Broncos are killing the pre-season. But in the pre-season, you also want to see improvement and correcting issues, and you want to stay healthy. That part's not going so good. The Broncos allowed the Packers to make some big runs, which is an issue. The Broncos also struggled to block. Both CJ Anderson and DeAngelo Henderson had big runs of 16 yards, but also a lot of carries getting hit early or in the backfield. And both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch got hit plenty, too. That's not great. Penalties were frequent, too, at times. And then came the injuries. Zach Kerr hurt his knee, which is particularly brutal given the other injuries along the defensive line. Demaryius Thomas tweaked his groin muscle, which is not great. And Lynch sustained a shoulder injury that could raise a lot of questions for the final roster. But the Broncos are 3-0. Despite the poor play and injuries, they're finding a way to win. And winning is ultimately what matter. So we'll have to see where they are starting September 11. But, most crucially, the Broncos have some really tough decisions to make between now and September 3 as the roster will go from 90 to the final 53.

Game Balls:
* Shelby Harris. The Broncos need help at defensive line, and Harris might be an answer. He was having a good pre-season before Saturday night, when made three sacks. He HAS to make this team.
* Hunter Sharp. Sharp, too, is having a good camp and pre-season. He's a longshot to make the roster, but I really like what I see.
* Jordan Taylor. Taylor is rumored to be fighting for a roster spot, but he looked strong Saturday and looks to have rapport with Siemian. He caught three passes for 36 yards.
* CJ Anderson, DeAngelo Henderson, and Jamaal Charles. All three backs looked strong and capable. CJ got the TD, but all three looked like they're capable of contributing.

Lingering Concerns:
* Offensive Line. It's better, I guess, but still not where it needs to be.
* Injuries. There are a lot of guys banged up, and it's easy to see that impacting final roster decisions.
* QB play. I loved what I saw from Siemian last week, but this week was uneven. His interception was particularly bad. He needs to step it up for the regular season.

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