2018 Broncos' Season, Pre-Season Finale


Pre-Season, Week 4: Broncos 21, Arizona Cardinals 10
Pre-Season Record: 2-2 (0-2 Home)
Key Play: Late in the third quarter, with the Broncos trailing 7-6, Paxton Lynch connected with Jordan Leslie on a 16-yard TD strike. He completed the two-point conversion, too, to give the team a 14-7 lead.

Recap: The last week of the pre-season is simple. Most of your roster is set, and your starters and key players don't even see game action. The guys that do have two missions. First, you want to end the game healthy. Second, if you're on the bubble, you really want to go out and impress. Many Broncos on the bubble did that, including third-year quarterback Lynch, who finally looked like an NFL player. It came in the second half of the finale meaningless pre-season game, but for a guy who looked DOA the day before, it was impressive.Will it be enough? Later today I'll give my final roster projections, then the Broncos will pare the roster down to 53 guys by 4 p.m. EST on Saturday, September 1. Then we'll know who will go into battle for this team when the regular season begins on Sunday, September 9. Needless to say there will be some heart-breaking decisions. The next couple days are arguably the worst of the NFL year, but I'll be curious to see who John Elway and these coaches think are the right guys to carry the team back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2015 season.

Game Balls:
* De'Angelo Henderson. He did everything you'd expect from a guy trying to prove he belonged. He ran hard and made plays. He finished with 53 yards on 11 carries and three receptions for 17 yards.
* Tim Patrick. Another guy that probably made the team. His two catches for 18 yards were more impressive than they sounded.
* Matt LaCosse. I think he's been on the bubble, but I am leaning toward him getting on the squad over Austin Traylor. His touchdown catch in the fourth quarter was a beauty.
* Jordan Leslie and David Williams. I doubt either makes the final squad, but both balled out. Williams had 43 yards on 13 carries, and caught six passes for 35 yards. Leslie, meanwhile, led the Broncos with five receptions fro 70 yards and the go-ahead score.

Lingering Questions:
* The Final 53. There will be some tough decisions, especially on defense. Who will make the final cut? It will be a brutal couple days awaiting word.
* Keeping Lynch. If the Broncos keep Lynch, going with three quarterbacks, as seems likely after he went 14-for-15 for 128 yards and two TDs, what will that mean for the team? What will that mean for other bubble players? Those will also be hard questions that must be answered.

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