Broncos vs. Vikings | Preseason Game 1: 5 Storylines to Monitor
The wait is finally over. As we approach the end of summer and turn of the season, football season has finally returned.
Game 1 of the preseason is here as the Denver Broncos are set to take on Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, and the Minnesota Vikings. Amidst a quarterback competition between incumbent starter Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, there lies a handful of storylines to follow as the regular season approaches.
The preseason games will shed the most light on Denver's key position battles, reveal how a couple of players are recovering from the injuries of yesteryear, and which guys on the roster bubble will make the cut here in a few weeks.
Here are five storylines to watch against Minnesota.
Lock Gets First Swing at QB1
Starting with the quarterback battle, Lock will get the first opportunity to win the startup quarterback job by starting the game with the first-team offense, facing off against what appears to be a stout Vikings defensive front seven.
Reports from the joint practices this week indicate that the Vikings' defensive line has taken it to the Broncos' offensive line, especially along the interior. Lock struggle with interior pressure last season, so this will be something to monitor closely
Lock needs to play a clean game, put up some points, and run an efficient offense to start to separate from Bridgewater, who will start next week against the Seattle Seahawks. Lock can't allow himself to be forced into bad decision-making with the football or else he could lose his job to the veteran check-down specialist.
Javonte Williams to See a Big Workload
There has been wild speculation about Denver's rookie running back and him stealing the starting job at some point this season. While that didn't seem likely given the performance of Melvin Gordon, Williams did catch a break with the quad injury of Mike Boone, who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks.
Williams has been brought along slowly because of Boone's performance during camp, but with the veteran on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the rookie has an amazing opportunity to steal the limelight throughout the rest of camp and the preseason. Between Williams and fourth-year back Royce Freeman, expect to see a heavy influence on the running game, especially late in the game.
Caden Sterns Poised to Display Potential
While it seems more likely that the first-team offense will see a large chunk of the work as this quarterback battle ensues, the first-string defense probably won't see a lot of time this week. The Broncos have already put an emphasis on allowing their veterans to have rest days early in camp, with guys like Von Miller, Kareem Jackson, and Graham Glasgow getting 'bucket hat' days.
Having their key defenders on the field seems unlikely given the Broncos' circumstances. With Jackson already having a pair of those veteran rest days, there is a high possibility that he will see limited time — if any — in the team’s first preseason affair.
That opens the door for Sterns, a fifth-round selection in April’s draft, to make an impression on the coaching staff for the second-string safety and possibly earn an expanded role in the defense as a whole.
Sterns has been impressive in camp, nearly coming away with a handful of interceptions and making several other plays while seeing time with the first- and second-team defense. Should he show improved tackling ability and continue his ball-hawking ways against the Vikings, he could see a boost in playing time.
Trinity Benson & Kendall Hinton: Time to Shine
One of the best storylines throughout training camp has been the rapid emergence of Benson, a former undrafted free-agent wide receiver out of East Central College. He's has been turning heads nearly every day as training camp has worn on, catching several touchdown passes and making plays regardless of which quarterback has been on the field with him.
Another intriguing storyline is that of Hinton. Most fans will remember Hinton for his appearance last season as the starting quarterback against the New Orleans Saints. After all, the wristband he wore that day is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
But fans might not know that Hinton has also shown an affinity for making explosive gains after the catch as a wideout.
Both Hinton and Benson are jockeying for position as a depth piece at receiver and also in the ongoing battle at punt returner. Both have explosive athleticism and have been hard to track down in camp.
With Tyrie Cleveland fighting a case of the dropsies and rookie Seth Williams struggling to find footing, Benson and Hinton could slide up the depth chart with a solid showing against Minnesota.
Second-Team O-Line Under the Gun
Denver’s first-team offensive line seems to have finally turned the corner and is becoming a high-quality unit, even though the starter at right tackle has yet to be determined. Center Lloyd Cushenberry has shown massive improvements despite a rocky Day 1 snapping the ball in joint practices in Minnesota and seemingly has his starting gig in the bag.
For now. Both Glasgow and Dalton Risner — who is currently fighting a knee issue — have played well in camp at the guard position and Garett Bolles is showing that last season’s breakout performance was no fluke.
The question here is, who will show themselves as the reliable option as a backup, especially along the interior?
Rookie Quinn Meinerz has an uphill battle as a third-round pick out of Division III Wisconsin-Whitewater and as a player that is only learning how to play the center position. Second-year guard Netane Muti has impressed as a run blocker, but has shown a lot of struggles in pass protection.
Austin Schlottmann has been around and has the versatility to play anywhere along the interior, but reports coming out of the joint practices earlier this week have said that he's has struggled against the Vikings' defensive line.
Can these guys find a cohesion that they haven’t shown thus far in camp? The Broncos' interior O-line backups should get a big opportunity to show the goods in the second half against the Vikings.
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