Five things we Heard from the Broncos’ 24-23 loss to the Chicago Bears on Saturday night:
1. The Broncos don’t even have a penalty problem.
For decades, officials have thrown too many flags at the preseason to enforce new rules and give gamers a baseline for what they could and may ’t perform.
The Broncos and Bears were each called for 14 enforced penalties. The Broncos (24 penalties) are one of nine teams with at least 20 penalties through two preseason games. Saturday’s game was a three-hour, 18-minute slough.
“I’m hopeful it won’t look like this,” coach Vance Joseph stated. “If it’s close, they’re throwing (the flag). I get it. It’s preseason. They wish to alter the behavior. It occurs every preseason, but it feels like it’s more this preseason. Hopefully, (if ) Week 1 starts, it kind of calms down a little bit. It generally does. ”
The Broncos, who had 21 penalties from the first two preseason matches last year, have just one lowering-the-head-to-initiate contact punishment — by cornerback Isaac Yiadom against Chicago, and it was a barbarous call. They had just two roughing-the-passer penalties from the Bears game.
2. The Broncos’ allowance for error from the secondary is razor thin.
Among those Broncos’ greatest defensive players in both preseason games was security Will Parks. Therefore it was about when he limped off the field against Chicago with a knee injury.
Joseph reported the injury was a “contusion; he didn’t even have some structural damage,” a lucky break for a secondary that’s nicked up.
Two cornerbacks and two safeties apiece sat out the Bears game, such as starting cornerback Chris Harris (oblique) and projected subpackage security Su’a Cravens (knee).
The Broncos’ chief subpackage is six defensive backs (three corners/three safeties). It permits them to blitz athletic players and use the remainder in policy (zone or person ) and also move Bradley Chubb to defensive end, his more natural place.
Cravens could go back to practice and face his former team (Washington) on Friday night. If Parks is fine and Cravens makes it through in good order, the Broncos should feel great about security until something else happens.
Cornerback is just another story. If healthy, Tramaine Brock would be opening-week No. 3, but after that remains doubt. Management should be scouring the thickness charts for potential reinforcements.
3. Chad Kelly will remain the backup quarterback for another week.
And we’ll go a step farther. Kelly will be the backup Once the Broncos play Seattle in Week 1.
It’s good fodder to state the Broncos need to pursue a veteran, but at what cost? They should be against giving up a draft pick for a player who ideally will not play. And after the wave of quarterbacks strikes the waiver wire/free-agent market on Labor Day weekend, there may not be a personality, scheme or monetary match accessible.
Kelly was 7-of-9 passing for 90 yards and a touchdown against Chicago.
“I feel that the more repetitions I get, the more rhythm I’ll have,” Kelly stated. “I must add way more function. I must see things far quicker. ”
4. Don’t read too much into Garett Bolles getting second-team work.
Bolles, the Broncos’ starting left offensive tackle, stayed in the game for Kelly’s first series. Bolles played with 32 snaps, as did begin right guard Connor McGovern, who moved to center for Kelly’s first possession.
“He wants to play,” Joseph stated of Bolles. “Simple as that. ”
Let’therefore face it: There is nobody on the roster that will challenge Bolles, so we’ll purchase exactly what the Broncos are selling.
“(To perform an extra series) was that the game plan, simply to get the rust out of me and continue to go out there and get the time right,” Bolles said of playing the next unit. “I’damn glad I went back out. ”
By our inspection, Bolles played a clean game (no penalties, no quarterback pressures permitted ).
5. Quarterback Paxton Lynch took yet another step back.
Five days after being demoted to third-team quarterback, Lynch was 5-of-11 death for 39 yards against the Bears. Lynch was booed as he walked on the field to begin his tour.
“I feel bad for Paxton, however, our fans want to win,” Joseph stated. “He must ignore it and go play. It’s professional football. Nobody will hold your hands, so he must go out there and perform. ”
What’s the old saying? “If you don’t enjoy the boos, do something about it. ” Lynch has done nothing this preseason to give those booing fans a reason to close up.
“I simply haven’t been playing nicely,” Lynch stated. “That’s not acceptable, particularly playing here. You’t have to perform well and give your team an chance to win every week. … I want to be that the (beginning ) quarterback. I don’t wish to be a backup, and I don’t even wish to be third-string. ”
The Broncos are somewhat less than two weeks from a significant choice: Status quo with their three quarterbacks or even move on from Lynch. It won’t affect this year’s win-loss listing, but giving up to a first-round pick is always a huge thing.
