NFL preseason has officially kicked off. The Denver Broncos matched up against the Atlanta Falcons Friday, August 14th in what became a one-sided affair as the onslaught from the Broncos offense was too much for the Falcons to handle. The Broncos won 27-7. Jarrett Stidham started until the half then was replaced by backup QB Sam Ehlinger.
The Denver squad looked sharp throughout the whole match, delivering on all aspects of the field with each cylinder firing. Stidham solidified his position at the QB2 spot as his time on the field was electric while the young Ehlinger will continue to work towards a meaningful position on the roster. Nonetheless both performances were solid.
Even with our lack of centers due to injuries, the line showed signs of improvement and promising performances.
Not all is well, however, as injuries continue to riddle the Broncos roster as linebacker Levelle Bailey suffered a broken leg during Friday’s game. Bailey is set for surgery and will be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time.
While some individual performances will be evaluated and tweaks will follow, so far Broncos fans don’t have much to worry about.
Some controversy has emerged on the Broncos roster as well. August 18th’s practice featured a heated altercation between QB Bo Nix and edge rusher Nik Bonitto after Bonitto and D-lineman Malcom Roach collapsed the pocket during a drill and reportedly pushed Nix down, Bonitto disregarding the strict no contact rule for QB’s at practice. What ensued was yet another injury as o-lineman Calvin Throckmorton sustained a gash on his head and was escorted off the field.
Practice did resume, however, with both Nix and Bonitto returning to play.
Hopefully, this was a one-time deal, and the team won’t have to hash out any more inter-team conflicts as Nix made this statement: “I love it. It’s football”, the young star not holding a chip on his shoulder. On the other hand, staff and coaches kept a more blunt and stern tone when speaking on the matter, emphasizing the importance of the rules set in place.
The Colorado Rockies have had a tough two-game stretch against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Losing match one of a three-game series 11-5 and losing Tuesday night’s game 7-6 in a tough loss. The Rockies look for one last chance at partial redemption against the Dodges on Wednesday August 19th @ 6:40pm in what will be the last of a three-game series. Another three-game matchup follows, this time against the Cleveland Guardians, spanning from Friday the 21st to Sunday the 23rd.
