Broncos to wear Sunset Orange jerseys, white pants vs. Panthers

Broncos to wear Sunset Orange jerseys, white pants vs. Panthers

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DENVER — The Broncos are set to wear their Sunset Orange jerseys for a home matchup with the Carolina Panthers in Week 8.

Denver will pair the jerseys with white pants and orange socks. The Broncos will wear their navy metallic satin helmets with the orange-and-white uniform combination.

This will mark the second time this season that the Broncos will pair their Sunset Orange jerseys with white pants, but the team will debut its orange socks. Denver previously wore this uniform combination with white socks during the team’s Week 3 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Denver previously announced its uniform schedule, and the Broncos will wear their Sunset Orange jerseys again in Week 11 before wearing their Midnight Navy alternate jerseys with white helmets for their ensuing home matchup in Week 13.

Denver will announce the corresponding pant color ahead of each game.

The Broncos kick off against the Panthers at 2:25 p.m. MT on Sunday.


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Broncos battle back late, but winning streak ends with 23-16 loss to Chargers

Broncos battle back late, but winning streak ends with 23-16 loss to Chargers

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Denver’s defense, meanwhile, allowed just three points in the second half and came up with stops on three consecutive drives in the fourth quarter to give the Broncos a chance.

“It’s not easy looking at the scoreboard and seeing the deficit,” Nix said. “I thought on the sideline our guys continued to battle. Despite the situation, despite maybe missing another opportunity or getting off the field again and you have restart. It’s tough, but I think that’s our team. I think that’s what kind of team we have. We have a very determined and hard-working team. We’re able to get down and continue to fight. Not every game is going to be easy. We’re not going to blow every team out. Sometimes you get knocked down early, [and] you’ve got to find a way to gut it out at the end.

“The fact that we gave ourselves a chance there at the end to have another opportunity says a lot about our team. I’m excited about this team. I know today wasn’t what we wanted, but I feel like we’re headed in the right direction with how we finished the game. You can’t normally take moral victories after a loss. It’s tough. Nobody likes to lose. Nobody wants to be on that side, but you can look at it and you can only go two ways. You can continue to go backwards, let it defeat you, let it crush you, and you get in your head, or you’re going to continue to move forward. I believe our team is going to continue to move forward [and] stay motivated. Today didn’t settle well with us. We’re going to continue to battle, find ways to get better, and continue to put good stuff on the field.”

Though the Broncos cut into the deficit in the second half, Denver could not fully overcome the Chargers’ 20-0 halftime lead.

Los Angeles scored on all four of its first-half possessions, excluding an end-of-half kneeldown, while the Broncos turned the ball over twice and were held scoreless.

The Chargers held the ball for more than 21 minutes in the first half and scored 10 points off turnovers over the first two frames.

On third down, Los Angeles held a decided advantage. The Chargers were 8-of-10 on third down in the first half — including several long conversions — while Denver was 2-of-6 on third down. Los Angeles was 11-of-15 on third down through three quarters, while the Broncos were 2-of-8.

Justin Herbert, who had not thrown for more than 179 yards this season, exceeded that total in the first half and finished the game with 237 yards.

The Broncos’ challenge on defense was made more difficult, as Pat Surtain II exited the game on Denver’s first defensive possession. After the game, Payton said Surtain was in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Nix, meanwhile, threw an interception on the first possession of the game and finished the first half 3-of-10 for 22 yards. Nix’s biggest completion of the first half was a final-minute 46-yarder to Courtland Sutton that likely would have set up Denver’s first points of the game, but a holding call wiped out the gain.

“We have to go back and watch it,” Nix said. “We didn’t run enough plays consecutively to get into a rhythm. It was a few plays, and you were off the field. In a game like that where you know they’re going to control the ball, you have to find ways to stay on the field.”

Before that moment, Denver’s most promising drive came with the team trailing 13-0. After picking up a pair of first downs to the Los Angeles 45-yard line, Javonte Williams lost a fumble that set up the Chargers’ final touchdown of the half.

The deficit, ultimately, was too much for the Broncos to overcome.

“We have to quickly put this one to bed,” Payton said. “We cannot forget it, but we have to learn from it.”


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Broncos’ defense dials up pressure in 10-9 win over Jets

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The Broncos are headed home with another win.

The Broncos responded from a scoreless first half to earn a 10-9 victory over the Jets in a back-and-forth fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium.

Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 50-yard field goal with 51 seconds to play, and the Broncos held on for the wild victory.

After an 0-2 start, the Broncos have now stacked two consecutive wins sandwiched around a week-long stay at The Greenbrier.

In a defensive battle on a rain-soaked day, the Broncos’ defense held strong against Aaron Rodgers and the Jets’ offense, allowing just three field goals and not giving up a touchdown. Denver’s offense, meanwhile, rebounded in the second half to score just enough to earn the win.

These were the players and plays that made the difference in the Broncos’ Week 4 win over the New York Jets.


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Broncos announce inactives for Week 3 game vs. Buccaneers

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TAMPA, Fla. — The Broncos have announced their seven inactive players ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In addition to safety JL Skinner, who was ruled out on Friday with an ankle injury, the following players are inactive: quarterback Zach Wilson, wide receiver Devaughn Vele, running back Blake Watson, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, tight end Lucas Krull and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike.

Wilson will serve as the team’s emergency third quarterback and is eligible to play if the Broncos’ other two quarterbacks suffer injuries.

Rookie wide receiver Troy Franklin, who made his debut in Week 2, is again active for Denver. Rookie tackle Frank Crum is active for the first time in his young career.

See below for a complete list of the team’s inactive players.


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Broncos announce inactives for Week 1 game vs. Seahawks

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SEATTLE — The Broncos have announced their list of inactive players for their Week 1 game against the Seahawks.

The following players are inactive for Denver: Quarterback Zach Wilson (emergency third quarterback), wide receiver Troy Franklin, running back Blake Watson, cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine, tackle Frank Crum, tight end Lucas Krull and defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike.

Under NFL rules, teams are permitted to designate a quarterback on their active roster as the emergency third quarterback. Wilson will dress for the game but will be permitted to play only if quarterbacks Bo Nix and Jarrett Stidham suffer injuries.

Four of the Broncos’ six rookie draft picks on their 53-man roster are active for Sunday’s game, as Nix, outside linebacker Jonah Elliss, running back Audric Estime and wide receiver Devaughn Vele are active in Week 1 of their rookie careers.

Denver previously elevated fullback Mike Burton and wide receiver Lil’Jordan Humphrey from the practice squad, and both players are active for the game.

The Broncos did not rule any players out for the game due to injury.


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QBs Jarrett Stidham, Zach Wilson deliver strong performances as Broncos end preseason with win

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DENVER — There’s never a bad time to win.

The Broncos did so convincingly on Sunday, as they closed the preseason with a 38-12 win over the Cardinals to wrap up an undefeated preseason.

“I said to [the team] afterwards, ‘Don’t ever get tired of how it feels to win,'” Head Coach Sean Payton said. “Granted, we’re substituting groups and we’re needing to get groups evaluated, and yet we still want to win. I felt the energy. … That part of it’s encouraging.”

Punctuated by a 94-yard pick-six by undrafted rookie Levelle Bailey, the Broncos never trailed in their win over the Cardinals.

“I liked the energy again,” Payton said. “I thought even the guys that were not necessarily playing were into the game. That is encouraging. You can pick any number, and it is going to kind of give you the stat line. When you score on defense, you are going to have some success. I think we had two takeaways, and we protected the ball. So, overall, I was pleased with how we finished this preseason. We will get a lot of film look on some guys, and then we begin that process the next two days relative to the roster.”

Quarterbacks Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson were among the players who impressed Payton with their performances.

“Both those guys looked good,” Payton said.

Stidham got the start and played just one series, as he led Denver on a 10-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. The defining play came on fourth-and-2 from the Arizona 32-yard line, as Stidham found rookie Devaughn Vele in the middle of the field for a 14-yard completion that moved the chains. Running back Audric Estime, who totaled 32 scrimmage yards on the drive, plunged in from three yards out for the opening touchdown.

“I knew coming into it, if I went down and scored on the first drive I’d probably be done,” Stidham said. “Really proud of the guys putting it in there after the [Cardinals’] missed field goal. It was great.”

Wilson then came on in relief and led three touchdown drives over the remainder of the game. His first scoring drive was jump-started by a 21-yard scramble in which he dove forward for the first down after facing a second-and-20. Wilson added passes for 24 yards to David Sills, 19 yards to Nate Adkins and 14 yards to Sills before he found an open Adkins for a 1-yard touchdown.

In the third quarter, Wilson launched a deep pass to Brandon Johnson for a 37-yard gain that set up a 1-yard quarterback sneak.

Wilson’s best pass, though, may have come late in the game. With just over six minutes to play, Wilson dropped a 46-yard rainbow in to Johnson right before the defender arrived to try to break up the pass. Johnson skated into the end zone for Wilson’s second touchdown pass of the afternoon.


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Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix and Zach Wilson lead Broncos to 34-30 win over Colts

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INDIANAPOLIS — After weeks of practicing situational football, the Broncos took advantage of a live opportunity.

In Sunday’s preseason opener against the Colts, the Broncos took over at their own 16-yard line with 1:24 to play in the first half and one timeout remaining. Locked in a 10-10 game, Denver held a chance to create separation.

With a pair of 16-yard completions from Bo Nix to Lucas Krull and a 29-yard pass interference call drawn by Devaughn Vele, Denver moved the ball inside the 10-yard line and kicked a short field goal to take the lead.

The field goal was just one moment of a stretch in which Denver scored points on five of seven possessions, and the drive stood out to veteran Courtland Sutton in a 34-30 win over Indianapolis.

“I think he handled it very well,” Sutton said of Nix. “[He] had a lot of poise, a lot of control. The moment wasn’t too big for him. The moments are only going to get bigger. The preseason games don’t count, but come Week 1, whoever they decide to put out there as our starter, they’re going to have to handle that situation the best they possibly can.”

Nix’s two-minute drive was part of an afternoon in which he completed 15-of-21 passes for 125 yards, a touchdown and a 102.3 rating. He also recorded three carries for 17 yards.

“It was a good day,” Nix said. “I thought we ran the ball efficiently, made some good plays in the pass game. Converted some third downs, got points when we needed to. It was a good job going into half with points and then coming out with points — [it] felt like that was a good point in the game. But overall, felt like we did a good job. Huge team win.”

Jarrett Stidham, who started the game and completed 4-of-7 passes for 37 yards, had his two drives foiled by penalties and an interception that bounced off the hands of running back Samaje Perine.

“Honestly, I thought we moved the ball really well,” Stidham said. “We kind of shot ourselves in the foot — mainly those first two drives with penalties and that sort of thing. A lot of good, I thought. Obviously, we’ll take a look at the film and get better from it. Obviously, clean up the penalties. Like I said, that was probably the biggest thing. Thought we were pretty efficient there pretty early on. Obviously, just the penalties, we’ve got to figure that out.”

Tim Patrick, Courtland Sutton and Mike McGlinchey were all whistled for penalties during Stidham’s initial drive, which progressed to the Indianapolis 29-yard line before regressing backward.

“He gets a tough break where the ball bounces off of Perine,” Head Coach Sean Payton said. “We’re in scoring position before Tim’s penalty. We’re in scoring position, [and] the penalty brings us out of scoring position.”

After Stidham’s two series, Nix entered and led the Broncos to a field goal on his opening drive. His first two pass attempts fell incomplete before he scrambled to his left and fired a sideline pass to Sutton for a 22-yard gain.

“That was a big play,” Nix said. “Big third-down conversion there. … [Sutton] did a good job of being aware of the sideline. I looked up and he was open, and those are always the good ones, when you see an open guy.”

Nix and the Broncos’ offense scored 20 points across five possessions, with the lone missed opportunity coming via a Krull fumble on the penultimate drive before halftime.

On Nix’s second drive, he capped a 10-play, 56-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr.

“It was a nice play by Marv,” Nix said. “He did a good job of getting to the corner, and we executed it well. We’ve been practicing and repping that play quite a lot, and they bumped it off and had some space and we were able to get a touchdown. Overall, just felt like it was good to get out there and throw some completions, see a new defense and ultimately just get out there and compete.”

Nix also showed his ability to scramble, and all three quarterbacks demonstrated an ability to avoid sacks. In 41 combined dropbacks, none of the Broncos’ three quarterbacks were sacked.

“[The] ball is out,” Payton said. “I like the timing, the tempo of when we’re releasing it. That was a big issue for us a year ago with the minus plays. We were towards the back, back half of the league – I think fourth [lowest]. So, I was pleased with the timing of what we were doing throwing the ball. It’s important.”

Sunday’s game against the Colts represented the first time since 2022 that the Broncos posted a sack-free game in the preseason.

Wilson played the final five drives of the game, and he posted the highest quarterback rating of the three passers with a 103.7 rating. Wilson completed 10-of-13 passes for 117 yards, and he said Sunday represented a “new team, new start” for him.

“I thought we put some great drives together,” Wilson said. “Not a ton of negative plays. I thought we did a good job of staying ahead of the sticks.”

Stidham said he was “super proud” of the Broncos’ complete offensive effort, and the trio of quarterbacks combined to complete 29-of-41 passes for 279 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

“All three of them did a good job,” Payton said.


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Denver’s rookies make big contributions in preseason win vs. the Colts

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INDIANAPOLIS — The Broncos are looking to get off to a quicker start in 2024.

And after Denver’s preseason win over the Colts, it’s clear the Broncos’ rookies are eager to contribute.

“I think you can see a lot of young guys that are hungry [and] a lot of guys that are fighting for a position,” wide receiver Courtland Sutton said.

This competitiveness was on full display Sunday, as several first-year players made key contributions in Denver’s 34-30 victory.

Outside linebacker Jonah Elliss set the tone late in the first half, as he applied pressure off the edge on Indianapolis quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The pressure ultimately led to a Denver interception by defensive back Keidron Smith, and the Broncos then moved down the field toearn a 13-10 halftime lead. Elliss later recorded a sack, as well.

Rookie running backs Audric Estime and Blake Watson carried this momentum into the second half, as both recorded key rushing touchdowns to help propel Denver to the win.

“It definitely felt great,” Estime said of playing in his first NFL preseason game. “… [It] was just a result of all the hard work we’ve been doing in camp. It all paid off and we got the win.”

While Estime was pleased with his positive impact in his first NFL preseason game, he noted that there is still a lot of work to be done to improve in the weeks ahead. The Notre Dame product lost a fumble that resulted in a Colts touchdown.

Head Coach Sean Payton had a similar perspective on the performance of his rookies, and he believes that the more playing experience the players get, the better prepared they will be to step up during the regular season.

“Overall, they’ve been pretty consistent in camp, [and I’m] encouraged,” Payton said. “There’s still obviously a lot of work for those guys to do. But they all show that they can find a way to contribute. Now, it’s [about] cleaning up some of the other things.”

Cornerback Kris Abrams-Draine and wide receiver Devaughn Vele were also among the rookies to make their presences known, as both made key plays to contribute to Denver’s strong performance.

Abrams-Draine recorded a key interception on an Indianapolis two-point conversion attempt to bring Denver’s offense back out on the field, while Vele drew two pass interference penalties totaling 40 yards.

As the Broncos get back to work this week, Vele is confident that the culture Denver is developing in training camp will continue to propel the rookie class, and the group as a whole, to success during the 2024 season.

“I feel like the camaraderie on this team, it’s really good,” Vele said. “The vets help out a lot with the rookies, and I feel like this brotherhood is something really special here.”

PAYTON EAGER TO ‘CLEAN UP’ MISTAKES AS PRESEASON PROGRESSES

Payton said that while he was pleased with several things he observed in Sunday’s win, there is still plenty of work to be done as the Broncos get back to work this week.

“Even in wins, the same way in losses, you can find things you’re doing well,” Payton said. “We’ve got to be smart enough tomorrow when we watch the tape to clean up and correct some of the things that we weren’t doing as well with.”

Payton said Denver will focus on minimizing penalties and turnovers as they look forward to next week’s preseason game at home against the Packers.

TIM PATRICK RETURNS TO THE FIELD

After spending the last two season on injured reserve, wide receiver Tim Patrick returned to the field and recorded his first reception on Sunday. While it’s been a while since he’s seen action on the field, Patrick said practicing alongside his teammates during training camp allowed him to build confidence ahead of his first preseason appearance.

“It felt good; it honestly hasn’t felt that long,” Patrick said. “… I feel like I go against the best every day, so out there, it just felt like it was another day in the office.”

Several teammates, including Sutton, were glad to see Patrick return and look forward to watching him contribute this season.

“I was so happy for him,” Sutton said. “… It was just so exciting to see him back out there in his element. … I’m excited for him, [and] I know he’s going to have a really great year this year.”


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