The Denver Broncos won big against Atlanta, and the takeaways focused on the offense under Davis Webb.
The Denver Broncos had a very successful night last night against the Atlanta Falcons as they opened their preseason schedule with a 27-7 win, and there’s a lot to review. Parker Gabriel of the Denver Post offered some takeaways about what went well as well of some of the nuances that came with them, starting with one of the most obvious points.
The Broncos dominated on both sides of the ball
Coach Sean Payton said that preseason is more about establishing a culture than winning games, but the Broncos have now won eight straight preseason games. Winning is part of the culture, and the Broncos posted huge margins in total yardage at 360 to 178, first downs with a 24-10 lead and time of possession as the Denver held the ball for over 13 more minutes than Atlanta.
“I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage,” said Payton.
That control included four scoring drives on offense while getting a touchdown on defense from cornerback Jahdae Barron, who returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown late in the first half.
The Davis Webb factor looks real
Webb promised some elements of surprise in the preseason, but a lot of the focus was on the basics. The Broncos will add more when they face the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 13, but there was no thinking ahead in this one.
“No, no,” Payton insisted. “We’re not thinking that far ahead. He’s thinking about having his best night tonight and that’s — I’d approach it the same way. The self-scout, the opponent stuff, then what they’re doing defensively, how they play defense is a little different.
“He’s thinking about, man, getting that confidence going with the group, the run game, the play action.”
Parker noted that the Webb offense flowed naturally, which wasn’t always the case with an offense that struggled with consistency last season. Payton didn’t have a lot to say about that, as he was more focussed on the operational aspects of what the Broncos were doing.
“It was smooth,” Payton said. “I felt like, maybe there was a play or two when we got down to three seconds, but the subs were good, Davis was on point. I thought the QBs were good in and out of the huddle.”
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham also addressed an issue that popped up frequently with starter Bo Nix last year, as plays often didn’t get in on time. That didn’t happen last night, though, as Webb actually had time to include additional information.
“There were little things he was telling me in the headset tonight — and I remember him doing the same thing last year — and just doing a very good job communicating and just being calm and collected. Like I said, just giving reminders on each play and just being helpful.
“He’s going to be a really good play-caller for a long time.”
