2019 Broncos' Season, Pre-Season Week 2


Pre-Season Week 2: San Francisco 49ers 24, Broncos 15
Pre-Season Record: 1-2 (0-1 Home)
Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with the 49ers leading 17-9 and just over five minutes to play, Nick Mullens connected with Kendrick Bourne on a one-yard TD strike to put the game away at 24-9.

Recap: You play to win the game, except not in pre-season. Or rather, winning in pre-season isn't about the wins and losses, per se, but what you see when building your team. On that score, the Broncos led 9-3 at the half and actually looked pretty good with starters in the game. The second half going 21-6 the other way is a sign of a lack of depth, or of playing too vanilla. The Broncos didn't look good in the second half, and some of that is concerning. They definitely have a lack of depth, and that is also concerning. But that's not to say there weren't bright spots. Emmanuel Sanders returned and looked strong. And Joe Flacco played more extended minutes and went 7-for-11 for 59 yards, leading a scoring drive. The defense also looked ferocious, with Bradley Chubb looking incredible. Isaac Yiadom had an interception, Shelby Harris dominated the middle, and De'Vante Bausby almost had a second pick. The Broncos looked looked really good at times. So it's a loss on the scoreboard, and there are some concerns that emerged, but I thought it was a decent game for the Broncos.

Game Balls:
* Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders returned from injury and caught a pass for five yards on the first offensive play and later took an end around for 19 yards. He also caught a long pass that was called back due to a holding penalty. But for the Broncos, it's a great sign.
* Bradley Chubb. He's in for a monster season. He was a disruptive force, including a sack and two QB hits.
* Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton. The young receivers each caught a pair of passes and looked good playing more extended minutes with Flacco.
* Isaac Yiadom. The second-year corner made an interception and looked strong. His development is one of the things Broncos fans are looking for this year, and this was another strong outing.

Lingering Concerns:
* Injuries. Drew Lock looked good as the second quarterback in, but hurt his hand. Noah Fant also got dinged up. The belief is the injuries are minor, and let's hope that remains the case. The Broncos have already struggled with injuries this pre-season and need their core to stay intact.
* Offensive Line. The Broncos' rushing attack wasn't great in total, but the reserve lineman really struggled. The line is a concern for this team, and one that hasn't shown great improvement so far. Hoping to see some more growth the next two weeks and, hopefully, Ron Leary coming back.
* Backup Quarterback. The injury to Lock is a concern, and it would be good to get more clarity there. Brett Rypien doesn't seem to be in the mix, and is probably a Practice Squad guy. The question is who will be the backup QB and how many we keep. I think it would be great if the Broncos only had to keep two QBs, and I thought Lock showed real progress last night. But now he's banged up, and is still a rookie. However, based on what I saw of Kevin Hogan last night, I don't think the backup is on the roster if we need a third QB.

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