First impressions from the Broncos' 27-2 win over the Packers at Empower Field:
1. Kaydron is the best: Discover 2024 Essun Bassey! Second-year safety Kaydron Smith, who bounced around between the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders last season, recorded his second interception in two weeks of preseason to cap off a strong opening second quarter. The former SEC star caught a missed shot by Sean Clifford and returned it 56 yards for the Broncos' second and final touchdown of the first half. On the bright side for Smith: Even if his final two games don't help his roster spot with the Broncos, the footage should certainly help around the league. Bassey recorded three interceptions for the Broncos during the '23 preseason. He was released in early October after playing four games in the regular season, eventually playing for the Chargers ('23) and Lions ('24).
2. Dixon is likely to lose as punter: QB1 probably wasn't the only race that was a done deal Sunday night. Riley Dixon kicked 45 yards from the Packers' 5-yard line. Rookie Trenton Gill, who played the past two seasons with the Chicago Bears, kicked 45 yards on his first attempt. The second? Well, let's just say it was a bit underwhelming. Gill's 34-yard rainbow kick with 9 minutes, 55 seconds left in the game went out of bounds at the Packers' 25-yard line. Dixon averaged 46.3 yards per kick last fall and landed 27 of his 79 punts inside the opposing 20-yard line.
3. The new uniforms are… good? There are two things the denizens of “X” can never agree on. First, politics (obviously). Second, the Broncos' new uniforms. From the press box at Empower Field, the white top and orange pants combo looked pretty neat. And, to be honest, they looked pretty cool. Although, from afar, it also looked like the Packers were having a scrimmage against Boise State. But, oh well. We'll get used to it. Probably. Eventually.
4. What a 2-0 preseason means: Unfortunately, that's not much given recent history. The Broncos are undefeated in their first two exhibition games for the first time since 2021. Coach Vic Fangio's last team went 7-10. But it's only the sixth time in the past 20 summers that a Denver team has won its first two preseason games. Three of those teams ('05, '14, '15) made the postseason; the last two ('17 and '21) didn't. Average regular-season winning percentage: .605, which means they'll win 10 games this fall. That's also not much.
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First published: August 18, 2024, 9:16 PM
