By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos lost to the San Francisco 49ers 31-24 on Saturday. The main focus for the Denver Broncos in this game was the quarterback competition. One of them needed to stand out. How did they play?
Trevor Simian played the first quarter and started the second quarter. I thought he played well for the most part. He was finding the open receivers and throwing the football where only they could catch it. The offensive line protected him well. The Broncos went on a 10 play drive to start the game which was capped off by a C.J. Anderson 19 yard touchdown run.
The only downside was his interception which was run back for a touchdown. He was looking for a wide-open receiver when 49ers safety Eric Reid picked the football off. Simian was staring at the receiver he wanted to throw to. Reid just had to read his eyes and undercut the route. It was an easy interception and touchdown. That was a mistake that Simian can learn from. He ended the night 10 of 14 passing for 75 yards and 1 interception.
Mark Sanchez was in at quarterback for the second quarter and half of the third quarter. He had moments when he looked like he could lead this football team. Sanchez was finding receivers and the offense was clicking. They were driving down the field.
Then there was the “bad” Mark Sanchez. He was holding onto the ball way too long leading to 3 sacks. At the end of the first half, the Broncos had two possessions inside the red zone. Sanchez lost the football both times on fumbles. This has been his problem throughout his NFL career. Sanchez turns the football over at critical times. That must improve in the third preseason game if he wants to get the job as the starter. Sanchez was 10 of 17 passing for 120 yards.
Paxton Lynch finished the night. It is difficult to evaluate him since he was playing against the third and fourth stringers. These are players who are trying to make an impression to make the team. Lynch was the only Denver quarterback to throw a touchdown. His numbers weren’t bad as he was 15 of 26 throwing the football with 113 yards and 2 touchdowns but did throw one interception.
For me, none of the quarterbacks were impressive nor did they look like they could be the starter for week 1. The Broncos have a difficult decision about who should start the all important third preseason game on Saturday against the LA Rams. This is when the starters will play the whole first half.
What are your evaluations of the Denver Broncos’ quarterbacks?
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