The Denver Broncos will take the field on Saturday night for their preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Fans tuning in will want to see Bo Nix and the rest of the starters out there, but will that happen?
Head coach Sean Payton has stated that the starters will play in this game. Payton has always given his starters some preseason reps, so he won't be changing that up, but we probably shouldn't expect to see them much. Nix and the starting offense will likely work a series or two with the ball against the 49ers.
After that, they will give way to the players locked in key position battles and fighting for spots on the roster.
Payton will want to see Nix get into a rhythm with some live throws, but the focus of the offensive attack will likely be centered around what is currently an uncertain running game. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey are likely to be the top two running backs when the season kicks off, but how much they'll play on Saturday night is anyone's guess.
What is more likely is that Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime — two guys fighting to stay on the team — could get an extended look as they try to fend off the other two backs on the roster, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson.
Payton did not elaborate on how much the starters would play in the preseason when asked, but looking back to the team's preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, the first QB up, Jarrett Stidham, played 12 snaps.
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When talking about it with the media this week, Nix had the following statement:
"You treat it like a game. I'm going to go in there and play as many snaps that they give me, try to move the football, be efficient, get in and out of the huddle, operate well, make sure we're all on the same page, and essentially just make football plays, go out there and do what needs to be done to move the ball and score touchdowns.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm MT and the game will be televised locally on 9News. You can also stream the game on NFL+.
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