Broncos Pre-Season Opener Highlights
The opener didn’t go quite as well as the Broncos hoped, falling 42-28 to the Minnesota Vikings.
Keenum’s Rough Start
Case Keenum started the game for the Broncos going 1-4 for only five yards before he was pulled from the game. Rough start for the new QB facing his former team. For the Vikings, newly acquired QB Kirk Cousins came out slinging. Going a perfect 4-4 for 42 yards and 1 touchdown. Not the way you want to start a game if you’re a Broncos fan.
The Backups Did Damage
After a sluggish first quarter, the Broncos entered the second quarter down 17-0. It took the second and third team offense stepping on the field for the Broncos to get rolling. Rookie RB Royce Freeman was the first to join in on the scoring. He was able to split the defense going up the middle to score the first Broncos TD this pre-season.
https://twitter.com/Broncos/status/1028463535003656193
The special teams were also able to join in on the scoring fun. Rookie Isaiah McKenzie returned a 78-yard punt for a touchdown.
The second half of the game was captivated by the likes of 3rd string QB Chad Kelly. Kelly was having a battle with ex-Bronco Trevor Sieman who was at the helm for the Vikings. Kelly had himself a night, completing 14 of 21 passes for 2 TDs and 177 yards. Don’t be surprised if you see Kelly getting more reps with the second team after his performance.
The other end of the receiving touchdowns for Kelly was rookie RB Phillip Lindsay and newly signed Matt LaCosse. Lindsay and LaCosse both ran for 40-yards with 1 TD each.
Check out the game’s full highlights here!
Overall Performance
The team’s overall performance was sub-par. The defense gave up five TDs to Minnesota’s second team offense as well as throwing two interceptions. Regardless, of the lack of defensive effort on the field, the young core on the offense was able to generate points. Keenum and the first team definitely need to step their play up in the next game. If they want to prove that they aren’t going to finish up in the same position as last year.
It took the second and third team offense stepping on the field for the Broncos to get rolling.
With over a month until the season starts, there is more than enough time to prepare for the season. Next game is Saturday, August, 18th, tune in to see what happens!!