The Denver Broncos third preseason game is tomorrow, hosting the San Francisco 49ers. This is the first time in preseason home fans will see the Broncos in game action. What should we be looking for in this game?
Peyton Manning and the rest of the offensive starters will most likely play the first half and into the third quarter. Manning hasn’t seen the field that much in preseason to this point. He watched from the sidelines against the Seahawks. He appeared in the first quarter and a drive in the second quarter last week. That isn’t enough time to tell if he can run Gary Kubiak’s offense. This game will allow Manning to be on the field for two quarters. He has to be able to move the ball. Last week, the first team offense didn’t drive past the opponents’ 48-yard line. The best case scenario for the offense is that they keep drives going. They have to show they can score points and can drive deep into the 49er’s territory. The worst case for the first team offense is they can’t move the ball, forcing punts. If that occurs, some media members and fans will question if Manning can run Kubiak’s offense.
The defense has been a bright spot early in preseason. They lead the league with 12 sacks. The Broncos defense will keep putting pressure on the 49ers’ offense. They have to keep demonstrating this is a different defense than last season. Last year they didn’t blitz the quarterback that often.
Denver’s special teams were better last week. They only gave up one kick return for 22-yards and had decent punt coverage as the Texans only averaged 6.4 yards per return. Denver must continue to have excellent coverage down field on punts or kicks. They can’t allow big returns because field position is important in these games. If they give up a big return, that could equal a shorter field for the 49ers to score points.
Earlier this week, Denver released Connor Barth meaning Brandon McManus is the kicker this year. He needs to confirm to Denver they made the right decision. He has to kick the ball out of the end zone on kickoffs so that the 49ers can’t return the ball. When the opportunity arises to kick field goals to put points up on the board, he needs to make them. If he misses, Denver might be skeptical they made the right choice.
The Broncos take on the 49ers on Saturday. Kickoff is at 7:00 PM Mountain Time.
What area are you hoping the Broncos improve on in this third preseason game?
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