Takeaways from Broncos' loss to Bills in second week of preseason

Starters for the Buffalo Bills dominated Denver Broncos’ backups in the second week of preseason in a 42-15 blowout on the road in Orchard Park, New York. 

Quarterback Josh Allen guided the Bills 70 yards on their opening drive taking a 7-3 lead. This set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, even when the Bills backups entered the game early on.

The Broncos defense struggled to pressure backup quarterback Case Keenum, allowing the Bills to rack up three more TD’s in the first half. The Broncos' lone touchdown drive came when third-string quarterback Brett Rypien found tight end Trey Quinn in the end zone. 

The positive takeaways are strong play from special teams: Kicker Brandon McManus converted on all three of his field goal attempts, and they had 160 yards on kick returns. Broncos running backs Mike Boone and Stevie Scott showed moments of promise. Boone’s spin move in the first quarter stood out as one of the main offensive highlights. Scott proved he can be an effective asset in the passing game as well. 

Another bright spot was the fact that Broncos limited penalties to three; the Bills had eight. 

The lack of depth is the main concern for the Broncos defense. The Broncos struggled on both fronts, pass and run.  Despite losing by a large margin, Broncos fans should keep in mind head coach Nathaniel Hackett opted not to play most starters. This loss identifies areas to improve on during the last week of preseason.