FULL GAME RECAP: Denver Broncos 38 Arizona Cardinals 12

the Denver Broncos took care of business today 38 to2 in their preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals this was a fun game Broncos Country this was a fun game to be at it was a fun game to experience you could tell that the guys out on the field today were having fun and playing with their hair on fire it was so awesome to see that kind of energy from players who are probably going to mostly play Reserve roles on the Denver Broncos and for some of these guys the harsh reality is this is the last snap of professional football that some of these guys are ever going to take it's a little bit less of that now than it was previous years because of Developmental leagues like the UFL and the CFL as well we see guys get other opportunities to build up their football resume but for some of these guys this is it man this is the last time that they will ever play football in their lives so go to show some love and some respect to all those guys out there because this is a cruel business man these guys are real people they have families they've got people surrounding them supporting them and this is going to be a tough couple of days for some of these guys who played their ass off today on the field so I just wanted to right away give some love to those guys for sure but jumping into the meat and potatoes of this video this game was super fun like I said earlier Zach Wilson played a really really solid game I thought that he had some awesome plays he hit two whole shots perfectly those are high degree of difficulty throws he threaded the needle between multiple Defenders a few times again High degree of difficulty throws his footwork was clean it was consistent his feet were leading him through his progressions seeing Zack actually being able to process what was going on on the field at a high level is extraordinarily encouraging Zack Wilson was really awesome today through the air he went 16 for 25 for 251 yards an average of 10 yards per attempt two touchdowns no picks also had a rushing touchdown on a quarterback sneak he took four snack four sacks today and he had a passer rating of 123. n so really good box score stats and even when you dive into the tape it started off a little bit Rocky and a little bit shaky but as the game went on Zach got comfortable out there and he was dealing towards the end of the game I think about that touchdown that he had to Brandon Johnson that was chef's kiss a gorgeous gous throw I mean he leveled that thing up there he was going for that turkey hole that little void in the zone against cover two between the flat Defender and the safety and he hit a beautiful throw there to Brandon Johnson and that was prior to hitting the turkey hole previous to that so really awesome to see that kind of stuff from Zach Wilson he's playing with confidence out there he's playing with Moxy he's playing with swagger you love to see that now does that mean Zach Wilson has earned the quarterback two spot that's going to be its own video spoiler alert little teaser there but that's going to be its own video as far as the rest of the team is concerned Jarrett stum did have a brief cameo in the game he started went two for four for 28 yards marching the Broncos downfield for an audri estimate touchdown on their opening possession nothing really to write home about what sdy did out there I mean he efficiently executed the offense what he needed to do had a couple of Misses there obviously but nothing really of note there when it comes to Jared stum when it comes to the Run game sorry my voice is a little bit shot from being out at the game having a yell but when it comes to the Run game Blake Watson 11 carries 38 yards three and2 yards per attempt Tyler batty I thought looked pretty good out there the box scor is a little a little less indicative of that but he had a couple of explosive runs he was uh 10 carries 32 yards Zack Wilson Two Carries 22 yards obviously had the touchdown on the quarterback sneak audri ese five carries 18 yards most of that work coming on that first drive and the rushing touchdown to boot Troy Franklin had a nice gain on a little end round that was nice and he had another good reception as well for 21 yards so it was good to see Troy Franklin get out there build that confidence a little bit because we've been talking about Troy Franklin's struggles at nauseum on this channel so it was really good for him to go out there and get some good reps and put some good film out there Brandon Johnson two catches 83 yards including that beautiful touchdown from Zack Wilson David Sills two catches for 38 yards Nate Atkins two catches 20 yards and a wide openen touchdown pass from Zach Wilson just on in the flat on fourth down and goal from the one really good stuff there from Nate Atkins who spoiler alert I've got him making this team Tyler batty three catches for 19 yards so some more explosive plays there from batty in the receiving game Devon V one catch for 14 yards audri es one catch for 14 yards and so on and so on one player who I'm a little bit surprised offensively didn't play is samaj perine you'll see my video that I put up on the channel the other day talking about how samaj perine was basically going to have a showcase game today where he was going to be put on display for all 31 other teams in the NFL to potentially go out and trade for him that never happened he was inactive today I don't know if that means that the Broncos have changed their mind on perine and he is going to make the team or if that possibly just means they didn't want to get him injured in this game and that they feel like he's got good enough trade value at is that they could move on from him or it means that they've just decided that they're going to cut him and save the three and a half million and let him be able to choose his own next team I don't know what the answer really is there for samaj Pine I was a little bit perplexed as to why he didn't play today I actually texted somebody who I know in the Broncos media and asked him if he knew and he didn't so um I have no clue man I have absolutely no clue what's going on with samaj perine that's going to be an interesting situation to monitor over the course of the next couple of days moving in to the defensive side of the ball um Tanner mallister was the leading tackle on the day tackler on the day with seven tackles Justin sternod really stood out he had that forced fumble that was recovered by kedin Smith kedin Smith has made a strong case to make the active roster three turnovers and three preseason games and had other turnovers throughout the course of training camp kedron Smith is a ball Hawk and you cannot let guys like that get exposed to the waiver wire otherwise they'll just get claimed they are pro scouting departments on all 31 other teams that are looking at kedin Smith's tape and are like ooh we'd totally like to have this dude if he gets on waivers you know Dam whale Denver does not want to let that happen I think that Justin sternard has made this team and I think that kedin Smith has also made this team so congratulations to both of them um and with Stern another thing that was notable was that he started over Jonas Griffith today I think at this point Jonas Griffith might be on the bubble in terms of making the 53 but he is definitely a prime candidate for the practice squad and probably not at very high risk of getting claimed by another team so that's probably where things stand in terms of Jonas Griffith right now JL Skinner made some good plays out there it was good to see him play with some confidence he's kind of had an up and down preseason so really good stuff from him Thomas and Kum he needed to put together a decent game and I thought that he did so Rees Taylor Quinton Nome art green he kind of struggled out there honestly Devon key got a little bit of action he's all but a lock to make the 53 at this point Levi Wallace got some action as well he's probably solidified his spot on the 53 inaz orque I thought had a couple of pressures looked good out there I'm curious to see what's going to happen with him if he makes the roster or if the Broncos possibly want to expose him to waivers Nick Bonito got a little bit of action today and he had a really nice stop on a run play so really good stuff from him um deari Mathis actually got injured on the second snap defensively it was an ankle injury the Broncos called it it did not look good whatsoever um he had to be carded off everybody in the stadium thought that it was a bad injury but according to Shawn pton he avoided a major injury he's still dealing with something in his ankle but it wasn't as bad as it could have been so maybe just a high ankle sprain or something like that obviously high ankle sprains are not great but you can still live with those Alec mock got shaken up um in the game but he ended up being okay LVL Bailey dude his 94 yard pick six just the read that he made on that play was insane you can tell that level Bailey watches a lot of film and that he's a very heady player he thinks he well you don't exactly he doesn't exactly think on the field because if you think on the field that's when you end up messing up in second guessing but he reacts really well to what he sees out there you can tell that he can see stuff coming from a mile away and that's exactly what happened on this play great read by lvll Bailey on that one excuse me um and then finally guys Michael Bandy he was back there returning punts he's definitely made a case for the practice squad I think the Broncos really like Michael Bandy in terms of the punting competition I think that Riley Dixon has edged out Trenton Gil it's a matter of consistency versus a big leg and I'd rather have the consistency with Riley Dixon his placement is a lot better than Trenton Gill's is Gil had a big punt but it resulted in a Touchback so do it that what you will I think that Trenton Gill is definitely going to be a starting punter in the NFL and I can see an argument for the Broncos keeping Gil honestly but I also feel like Riley Dixon is your better player there so he's the one that I think is going to ultimately end up making the team but I could also see that argument as well for Trenton Gil all right Broncos Country overall a very fun game but it's going to be a very crazy next 24 to 48 hours as we see all kinds of roster moves made all across the NFL and we might see a few trades here or there as teams solidify their 53 man rosters and 16-man practice squads all right Broncos Country let me know in the comments section below who stood out for you in this game who were your guys in this game drop those comments Down Below guys I would love to hear your thoughts as always the Denver Broncos finish 3-0 on the preseason as they defeat the Arizona Cardinals 38 to2 and until next time guys I'm your host Gage Madrid singing peace out