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We are officially halfway through the NFL’s preseason after this weekend, and the Denver Broncos are showing the potential to excel in certain areas but also to be subpar in others, leaving a confusing impression of what this team can really do when the games start to count September 12 in Jacksonville, Florida.
First, the good: Quarterback Kyle Orton continues to impress, showing that the one-year, $8 million contract extension the Broncos gave him last week is well deserved.
So far this preseason, Orton (pictured) is 24-35 for 261 yards and four touchdowns. He’s looked nearly flawless, and fans should expect big things from him this year.
Now, the bad: almost everything else.
The Broncos’ running game has been next to non-existent so far, leading The Denver Post’s Dave Krieger to point out that the lack of a running game demonstrated thus far could end up hurting the Broncos’ offense. Granted, the team’s top three running backs—Knowshon Moreno, Correll Buckhalter, and LenDale White—are out with injuries, as is starting left tackle Ryan Clady.
Still, the Broncos have just 111 yards on the ground in two preseason games, compared to the 342 racked up by its opponents.
The defense has also looked below average, ranking 30th (out of 32) in points allowed per game, 31st in yards allowed per game, and 32nd in rushing yards allowed per game (via The Denver Post).