The Broncos had a clear plan in mind when it came to evaluating the two contenders for the starting quarterback job in their preseason opener on Thursday night.
Coach Gary Kubiak said that the team wanted to throw the ball a lot so they can “watch the decisions and those type of things” on film after the game. Mark Sanchez had 13 passes in the first quarter and Trevor Siemian put the ball in the air 12 times in the second, so the Broncos accomplished that task. Kubiak said both quarterbacks had good outings, but wouldn’t say whether Siemian will get the first look the next time around.
“I don’t know. I am kind of going day to day,” Kubiak said after the game. "[Sanchez] and Trevor get starter reps in practice every day. The we played our first group tonight, there’s no way we could get that done. We are going to play more next week. I’ll see how we do. We kind of have three games next week. We have two practices against the Niners and then play them on Saturday, so a lot of good evaluation will still take place next week.”
Regardless of who starts under center next week or next month, the Broncos also got a good look at what figures to be their biggest strength this season. Their defense pitched a shutout at Soldier Field and finished the evening with seven sacks and an interception, which is a good way to keep confidence high while sorting things out on the offensive side of ball.