Broncos vs. Cardinals Preview: 5 Things To Watch in Preseason Finale

Over the past two years, many NFL fans have kicked around the idea of cutting two preseason games and adding two regular season games. This was a hot topic during the last renegotiation between the players' union and the NFL owners. 

Whether it’s a good or bad idea is irrelevant—at least for the next 10 years. With that said, the preseason wraps up Thursday night for all NFL teams, with the exception of the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks, who finish up on Friday. 

At this stage of the preseason, there are plenty of questions answered, plenty of questions unanswered and plenty to look forward to. 

Here are five things to watch in the matchup between the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals on Thursday night in Phoenix.

5. Grown Men Fight for Their Livelihoods

The final preseason game is rarely devoted to the big-time players. These players are already taken care of, have their long-term contracts or already know they will be a starter come Week 1.

The last preseason game is about figuring out who will be a team’s No. 5 or No. 6 wide receiver. It’s about procuring depth on a roster. That position or type of position will be extremely important in an overly-physical league like the NFL, where injuries to the starting lineup are basically guaranteed.

It’s a time when fans can sit back and see true passion all over the field. It’s corny, but these bottom-of-the-depth-chart players really love the game of football. Why else would they put themselves through all of the work necessary to make a roster that they never get to affect, other than in practice?

4. Von Miller, Denver OLB

If Miller plays in the preseason finale, it will be a treat for fans to see. Miller was the No. 2 selection in the 2011 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos. At Texas A&M in 2009 he had 17 sacks, which led all of college football.

In the first three games of his NFL career, albeit preseason games, he accumulated 3.5 sacks. Regardless of who a player’s going against, averaging over one sack per game is impressive.

And if he plays Thursday, he should be counted upon for another sack. Miller has a great combination of size and speed. Many fans are projecting that he will produce double-digit sack numbers during his rookie year and compete for the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

3. Patrick Peterson, Arizona CB

Peterson was the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NFL draft coming out of LSU. Peterson is a big, fast and physical cornerback. At 6’1”, 219 pounds, he posted a 4.31 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine—only .06 seconds off of the best time for a cornerback.

Many argued that Peterson was the best player in April’s draft. There was discussion that Peterson could and should start from Day 1 in Arizona. With the injury to probable starter Greg Toller, it seems likely that Peterson will start from Day 1 of the regular season.

But will he actually?

Coach Ken Whisenhunt is known as a coach who doesn’t play nice with rookies. But will his state of mind change with the talented Peterson banging on the door for a starting job?

Watch for how Whisenhunt uses Peterson in Thursday’s preseason finale—it could say a lot about what type of role he’ll play in 2011.

2. Battle for Denver's No. 2 Quarterback Job: Tim Tebow vs. Brady Quinn

It has been determined that Kyle Orton is Denver’s starting quarterback entering 2011. What’s up in the air is who his immediate backup will be.

There has been no official call from coach John Fox, which means this last game could serve as one last opportunity for Quinn and Tebow to show what they've got.

Based on his preseason performance (18-of-30 (60 percent) for 250 yards and two touchdowns), Quinn appears to have the edge on the backup quarterback gig, but nothing is final.

If that’s the case, it’s still expected that Tebow will get more playing time in 2011 since he’s the more versatile player. Denver can use him in creative ways whereas the use for Quinn is strictly as a passer.

1. The Kevin Kolb Connection with Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona

The Kolb-to-Fitzgerald connection hasn’t been overly impressive in the 2011 preseason.

The Cardinals gave up their No. 1 cornerback, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and a second-round draft pick to acquire Kolb with the hope that he would provide the best quarterback option following Kurt Warner retirement after the 2009 season.

So far it hasn’t looked that way; Kolb hasn’t been overly impressive in general.

It should be pretty hard to struggle as a quarterback in the NFL when Fitzgerald is on your team. But Kolb’s numbers through three preseason games (21-of-38 (55.3 percent) for 353 yards and one touchdown) aren’t terrible, but aren’t great either.

The highlight of the preseason for these two was when Fitzgerald bailed out Kolb with a spectacular catch against the Green Bay Packers.

If Arizona wants to be successful in 2011, these two need to get on the same page. There hasn’t been any word yet on how long these two will play on Thursday, if at all, but it’s something to keep an eye on.