The Denver Broncos rebounded from their subpar effort against the Packers with a blowout win over Minnesota.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton can breathe easy now, as the Broncos returned to form with a 34-6 pasting of the Minnesota Vikings that featured a three-touchdown performance from third-string quarterback Sam Ehlinger.
Payton has been talking up Ehlinger throughout the offseason and training camp, and Ehlinger finally lived up to the accolades as he went 15-for-20 for 233 yards and three touchdown passes, although he did throw an interception.
The highlight moment happened in Denver’s final score of the game, as Ehlinger hit tight end Justin Joly with an 88-yard TD strike after Joly was somehow left wide open.
“Honestly, it felt like the ball was in the air for like 30 seconds, like I was waiting for it forever,” said Joly, a fifth-round pick from North Carolina State after he blew past a deep safety who passed him off for help that never arrived, per the ESPN/AP report.
Ehlinger didn’t miss a beat with the throw, which was the case for him for most of the night.
“I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh! He’s wide open,'" Ehlinger said . "I was like, there has to be somebody around him. And luckily, there wasn't.”
Joly compared the experience to a layup in basketball, as the touchdown capped off a three-play drive that went 93 yards.
“It's like an open layup in basketball,” he said, adding, “I saw it was Cover-1 and the safety dropped me, and I was like, ‘Go vertical and don’t get yourself covered.' You've just got to go back to fundamentals: catch the ball, tuck it, run and don't drop it at the 1.”
The Broncos barely broke a sweat in this one, as Ehlinger also connected with running back Jaleel McLaughlin just before halftime for a 20-yard touchdown, and he also hit running back Cody Schrader for a 14-yard scoring drive. Jarrett Stidham preceded Ehlinger at quarterback by leading a pair of scoring drives.
The lone injury victim was receiver Marvin Mims Jr., who left the game after hurting his foot in the opeining drive, but Payton downplayed the significance of the injury.
“He's going to be fine. It's a bruise,” Denver coach Sean Payton said. “So we were really just more cautious with him.”
Most of the Denver Broncos didn’t even dress for this one, including quarterback Bo Nix, and Payton will now turn his attention to roster cuts as tbe Broncos go from 90 to 53. Denver opens on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, Sept. 14 in a game that will be featured on Monday Night Football.
