Broncos vs. Seahawks: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for Denver
The Denver Broncos got a strong performance from Brock Osweiler and kicked five field goals on Friday night before holding on to defeat the Seattle Seahawks 22-20 for a victory in the preseason opener for both teams.
Osweiler played the entire first half, completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown.
Brandon McManus and Connor Barth combined to kick five field goals on the night, making it even tougher on the coaching staff to pick a kicker for the regular season.
The Broncos then held on late in a battle of third- and fourth-string players to earn the road victory. The Broncos have now defeated Seattle in the preseason opener in back-to-back seasons.
Denver will travel to Houston to face the Texans in preseason action next Saturday night. But before we talk about that game, let's review this one a little more in depth.
Read on for positional grades and notes for the Broncos.
Position Grades for Denver Broncos
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| QB | B+ |
| RB | A |
| WR | B+ |
| TE | B+ |
| OL | B- |
| DL | A |
| LB | A+ |
| DB | B |
| Special Teams | D- |
| Coaching | A |
For fans who have been eager to see what Osweiler can do when given the chance, this game could be a good example.
He will be entering his fourth season with the team and has done almost nothing during the regular season. Though this was a preseason game and the competition will get much fiercer when every snap means more, he was able to answer the bell.
Osweiler showed good command of the offense and made good decisions. In addition, he showed the ability to evade pressure and find the open man down the field.
His 17-yard touchdown pass to Virgil Green just before halftime was one of the game's biggest highlights.
Seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian came into the game in the fourth quarter and completed five of six passes for 90 yards. The Broncos saw something in him prior to the draft, and there may be a spot on the final roster for the rookie.
While Siemian probably gained points with the coaching staff, Zac Dysert lost some. He did not play well in this game. He completed just two of five passes and threw some ugly balls. He will need to bounce back in his next opportunity.
The running game looked excellent in this game, and fans should be excited about that. Though Peyton Manning is a player you want to have throw the ball around, a good running game could be his best friend.
Perhaps most surprising was the play of Ronnie Hillman, who ran for 66 yards on eight carries. He looked like a brand-new running back, rushing with more authority and decisiveness than we've seen in the past.
Two wide receivers stood out in the passing game—Cody Latimer and Bennie Fowler.
Latimer showed signs of being able to break out as the No. 3 wide receiver this season. He had four catches for 49 yards and showed good hands in this game. Fowler caught three passes for 67 yards, including an impressive catch from Siemian in which Fowler reached out to snare a deep ball for a gain of 41 yards.
If Fowler continues to play like that, it will be hard for the coaching staff to let him go.
Many fans probably tuned into this game to see how the offensive line would hold up against the Seahawks. The line played a good game, but the unit has much more to prove. Early in the first quarter, Seattle defensive end Cliff Avril broke through all too easily before pulling Osweiler to the ground.
The line looked good in the rushing attack, though, and signs of success in the zone-blocking system are already evident. This is the same system that made success stories out of Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Olandis Gary and Clinton Portis.
As encouraging as the rushing attack was, the play of the linebackers was equally impressive. On Seattle's first series, Von Miller ran right past the tackle and wrapped his arms around Russell Wilson, knocking the ball loose. Todd Davis was there to recover it, giving Denver a 1st-and-goal inside the Seattle 10-yard line.
Shaq Barrett, a player squarely on the roster bubble, did his best to change that with four tackles and a sack in this game. He had four hits on the quarterback to go with that.
It's scary to think how good this unit could be with a healthy Danny Trevathan and Brandon Marshall on the field as well.
On the defensive line, Kenny Anunike had a huge night. Already a player who should be considered a lock to make the team, he left a huge impression in this one. Anunike had a sack and led the team with eight tackles. Not only should he make the team, but the Broncos will have a hard time keeping him off the field.
If you're looking for this season's breakout player, look no further than Anunike.
But of course, it wasn't a perfect performance. Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis has his work cut out for him this coming week in getting the players to cover kicks much better than they did in this game.
The coverage on kickoffs was atrocious. Barth hasn't added any length to his kickoffs, and Seattle rookie Tyler Lockett averaged 46.5 yards on four kick returns in this game. He also had a 103-yard return for a touchdown.
If not for this, Denver would have had a complete performance. Instead, the team has an area to work on this coming week, and hopefully we'll see a big improvement against Houston.
Important Note No. 1: C.J. Anderson Leaves with Injury
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Denver running back C.J. Anderson left the game early in the first quarter with an injured ankle. Denver Broncos vice president of public relations Patrick Smyth tweeted that his return was questionable shortly after he left, and Anderson never returned to the game. He finished with three carries for 11 yards.
"Injury update for the #Broncos: RB C.J. Anderson (ankle) is QUESTIONABLE to return.
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) August 15, 2015"
This is always the concern with preseason games. You want to see how your players look and how they've progressed through camp, but the risk of injury is always there.
On the play where the injury occurred, Anderson fumbled and then limped off the field. The broadcast team later said that the injury wasn't believed to be serious, so that had to put some fans' minds at ease.
Still, this will be something to watch during the upcoming week. It will be interesting to see how much Anderson plays, if at all, against Houston.
Important Note No. 2: Denver Rests Many Starters
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Aside from Manning, the Broncos kept Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Owen Daniels out of this game. DeMarcus Ware, Marshall, Trevathan and Chris Harris were also absent on the defensive side of the ball.
With a young offensive line, it was clear why the Broncos chose not to play Manning. After the sack early in the game by Avril, most fans were probably happy he wasn't the one on the receiving end.
The team didn't feel there was any need to play most of the starters, and that's fine. However, it would be nice to see how Manning looks in Gary Kubiak's offense before the season officially kicks off.
Perhaps this will happen in the third week of preseason action against the San Francisco 49ers.
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Important Note No. 3: Kicker Competition Still Looks Close
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While watching the team kick five field goals in this game, fans were given an extended look at the competition between kickers Connor Barth and Brandon McManus.
It doesn't seem like the Broncos want to keep them both this year, so they'd like to see one of them start to create some distance between him and the other guy.
On Friday, Barth booted field goals of 28 and 23 yards, while McManus hit from 52, 44 and 23 yards. On Denver's lone touchdown, Barth barely hooked in the new 33-yard extra point.
Denver alternated the kickers on both field goals and kickoffs. McManus happened to be the guy in the game on the longer field-goal attempts. But Barth's distance on kickoffs is a clear weakness.
Last season, he was successful on 15 of 16 field goals, so that has to count for something, but do the Broncos want to go forward with his lack of kicking power?
McManus was just 9-of-13 on field goals last season, but he has a much stronger leg. The Broncos may be more likely to roll the dice on that scenario.
Though the competition is close, if you had to give it to someone right now, it's probably McManus.
Quote No. 1: Head Coach Gary Kubiak on Team's Performance
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Kubiak seemed pleased with most of what he saw on the field on Friday night, but he admits there is still work to be done.
As reported by Troy Renck of the Denver Post, Kubiak had this to say to KTVD-20 following the game: "I'm really excited about some things I saw, especially in the first half. Some good stuff happened. I thought we played physical, but we have a lot of things to improve upon."
Kubiak pretty much sums of what we've said about this game. He's right: Some good stuff did take place, most notably the performance of his No. 2 quarterback, Osweiler.
It's good to see Kubiak start his career as head coach with a victory like this, even if the game doesn't count. He has the Broncos moving in the right direction.
Quote No. 2: Brock Osweiler on His Performance
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Though there was a lot to like about this game from the perspective of a Denver fan, perhaps the most encouraging aspect was the play of Osweiler. Without a doubt, it was the best he's looked in any of the limited action we've seen from him in his tenure here.
During the press conference following the game, Osweiler was asked about his touchdown pass to Green.
"That TD to Virgil. That was sweet, right? "Yeah. ... I was pretty excited." - Osweiler #DENvsSEA pic.twitter.com/8erCNhjTYR
— #BroncosCamp (@Broncos) August 15, 2015"
And he should be excited. It was a perfect pass over the top of a defender. On the play, Osweiler made the right read and put the ball right where it needed to be.
How long will it take for Denver to offer Osweiler a contract extension to prevent him from hitting the open market next season? That deal should get done sooner rather than later.
Quote No. 3: Shane Ray Talks About His Play on the Field
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Rookie linebacker Shane Ray entered the game early against the Seahawks, and he looked good while he was out there.
Officially, Ray had just one tackle in the game, but he did more than that. Malik Jackson had a sack in the game that should be credited to Ray. It was Ray who pushed the tackle right into Wilson; the quarterback stepped up and went right into the waiting arms of Jackson.
Later, Ray jumped on a loose ball deep in Seattle territory, outrunning every player to the ball and then fighting for it on the ground. Unfortunately, he was a little too quick off the snap and was called for a penalty on the play, but his hustle and energy level on the field were welcome sights.
When reporters caught up to Ray, he said he's just trying to get better.
""Tonight was just another step I took in getting better as a football player." - @X_RAYted56 #DENvsSEA
— #BroncosCamp (@Broncos) August 15, 2015"
That is the type of answer a player gives to the media, but Ray was likely happy with his play, and the coaching staff was probably pleased as well. When paired with Miller and Ware, he has the ability to become a pure menace to his opponents.
A first-round pick whom the Broncos had to trade up to get, Ray has already shown flashes of being a big part of this year's defense.
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