Fangio weighs in on what he saw from backup QB battle in Broncos preseason finale

And just like that, the Denver Broncos' preseason is over.

The five-game exhibition gauntlet ended on Thursday evening, with the Broncos defeating the Arizona Cardinals 20-7. Getting the start at quarterback once again was Kevin Hogan.

Hogan played the entirety of the first half and did some good things. He also did some bad things, overshooting a couple of wide-open deep shots.

Hogan finished the night 12-of-23 for 138 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. One step forward, two steps back.

Meanwhile, undrafted rookie Brett Rypien entered the game to open the second half and also showed some good things, and some bad. He finished 8-of-11 for 86 yards and one pick.

Both QBs presided over 10 points in their respective halves of football. With the final cutdowns coming by 2pm MDT on Saturday, where do Hogan and Rypien stand in the eyes of the coaches?

Head man Vic Fangio weighed in after the game with what he saw from both signal-callers on Thursday night and what it might mean for their roster prospects.

“I think they played OK," Fangio said following the game. "Again, it’s been a lot like they’ve played most of the preseason. I see some good plays, plays that you think you can win with and then some plays that were not so good. Not that anybody plays the perfect game, but we just have to eliminate some of those that aren’t good for us and be a little bit more consistent.”

Did either QB show enough to cement himself the backup QB?

“I don’t know the answer to that yet," Fangio admitted. "We obviously have to look at the tape to get a really good feel for exactly what happened on each and every play. Obviously [GM] John [Elway] will play a major part in that too, so we’ll see.”

Those conversations are likely taking place on Friday as the Broncos' team brass make the tough decisions that'll shape the 53-man roster. For most coaches, it's that time of the year they all dread, having to cut players and in many cases, end their NFL dream.

“It’s not a good part of the job even though I’ve never done it as a head coach I’ve always felt like I’ve had to do it with half the team," Fangio said. "You develop relationships with these guys. They’ve been here since April with us. I like all these guys and they’ve put forth good effort and they all have dreams and ambitions. For the ones that it won’t be here, you know it’s hard to tell them that.”

Despite his rough and tough exterior, Fangio has a big heart and cares about his players. They've bled for him all summer, competing as Denver Broncos.

34 players will be handed their walking papers before Saturday afternoon. Will Kevin Hogan and Brett Rypien be among them? Will the Broncos look to upgrade the backup job by adding a veteran off waivers?

Only time will tell. Stay tuned because the next 36 hours will be a whirlwind.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.

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