For the second straight preseason game against an NFC West division team, complete with scheduled team scrimmages, the Denver Broncos walked away with positive vibes. Albeit, all three of their preseason games are against teams with losing records from last season, the new ensemble of Broncos gave some indications of what to expect in the upcoming season just around the corner. Preseason Game Two results, similar to Game One, Broncos 27, Cardinals 7.

Second-year signal caller, Bo Nix, did not participate in the only preseason game at Mile High this season, but backup Jarrett Stidham gave another solid performance. Stidham leads the entire NFL in passer rating with a 143.3 mark and is second in passing yards with 376.

From the opening drive, with the direction of QB coach Davis Webb, Stidham commanded a 97-yard touchdown drive on four plays, using three newcomers to the roster. Evan Ingram exploded with a 58-yard reception, followed by a 29-yard catch by rookie Pat Bryant. The scoring drive was capped off by an 8-yard touchdown run by rookie RJ Harvey.

“I had thrown a couple of call sheets or stat sheets from my first time (calling plays) and highlighted a few things and said, ‘see if you can beat this.’ And he did,” Head Coach Sean Payton said after the game.

“We’re talking. We’re all on the same line, but he called it and did a really good job. That experience is invaluable,” Payton said of Webb. “Until you do it, it’s much faster than you think compared to the college game... You want to make a good impression, but he did a good job. He did a really good job.”  Webb got the game ball for his efforts.

After an early score by Arizona tied the score at 7-7 in the first quarter, the Broncos’ defense shut out the Cardinals for the remaining three quarters, another similarity to Week One. With the entire Broncos starting unit not playing in the game against the Cardinals, the Broncos’ backups held the Cardinals to just 36 yards rushing and 113 yards passing, while also registering two sacks.

The running back room also heated up for the Broncos, finishing with 167 yards rushing. And 14 different receivers combined for 402 yards in the game, with Troy Franklin scoring two touchdowns in the win. The team will reduce its roster to the final 53 players by Tuesday, August 26, at 1:00 PM ET.  

I think there’re going to be a number of tough decisions, but I’d rather be in that position than the position we were in two years ago at this time,” said Head Coach Sean Payton. “I think that the talent level has gradually gotten better. These guys, they’re all competing, and we say this to them, and it’s serious. We’re rooting for all of them. We’re rooting for their best, and because I think there are going to be some players that end up on other teams’ rosters playing. That’s part of the deal.”

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