Five observations from Broncos “dominant” win over Vikings

The Denver Broncos traveled to play the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of the preseason. After a couple of joint practices, the Broncos trotted out there for the first time this year. Their practices had some struggles for the offense, but in the game the offense flourished.

The Broncos dominated the Vikings on their way to a 33-6 victory on Saturday. It was a great performance for the offense and the defense. Both sides of the ball featured strong play from veteran and young players.

Here are the top 5 observations from the Broncos vs. Vikings game:

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PS2 The Man

The Broncos passed up on a quarterback in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft so they could select Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain. During training camp, the rookie has looked like the best cornerback on the roster. When the first depth chart was released, Surtain was not listed as a starter.

He did start on the outside against the Vikings with guys like Ronald Darby, Kyle Fuller and Bryce Callahan sitting out. Surtain proved that he belonged in the NFL with strong play in coverage, including a pick-six in the second quarter.

He was sitting on routes all day, and Surtain almost had an interception before his pick-six. When he did get his hands on the ball, Surtain made it look easy trotting into the end zone for the score. Surtain has the makings of a Pro Bowl cornerback, and that may come sooner rather than later.

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Young Bull in the Backfield

There is no doubt that I love running back Javonte Williams. The team’s second-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the Broncos were excited when they moved up to get him. Williams has looked good in training camp but the best part of his game – tackle-breaking ability – hasn’t been able to be showcased because there’s no live tackling.

In the game, we got to see how punishing Wililams can be as a runner. His first two carries went for first downs, and Williams showed how tough he was to bring down. In 2020, during his final season at North Carolina, Williams led all FBS running backs with 75 broken tackles. Against the Vikings on Saturday, Williams proved that tackle-breaking is the hallmark of his game.

Williams will work with Melvin Gordon in a running-back-by-committee this year. While Gordon may be considered the starter and the lead back, I think there’s enough work for both backs to be very productive. In addition to showcasing Williams, the Broncos also showed how run-heavy they want their offense to be. The strong rushing attack helped set up the play-action passing that caused the Broncos to jump out to a big lead.

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Lock Led Him

The Broncos got a safety in the first quarter and the Broncos offense got the ball back for their second drive. That led to a score on one play as Lock threw an 80-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Hamler. It was off a play-action fake and the defense bit because of the way the Broncos have been running the ball.

The best part of the play was the way Lock led Hamler on the play. We all know Lock can rocket passes down the field and loves to hit the “home run” ball. However, we have not seen him throw with downfield touch on many of those throws. He’s been able to connect deep with receivers in practice, but too often they’d have to slow down to let the ball get to them.

On Saturday, Lock led Hamler perfectly, so the young receiver did not have to slow down but instead merely run under the pass the haul it in for the big score. Those type of throws, set up by the running game, are low-percentage passes but that percentage can increase if the quarterback places the ball in the right spot. That’s what Lock did with great success against the Vikings.

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Reserve Rushers a Concern

Early in the game, Vikings quarterback Jake Browning had way too much time to throw. The Broncos were getting middle pressure from their defensive line but on the outside I felt there could have been more. They finished the game with 1.0 sack and three quarterback hits. When rookie Kellen Mond took over at quarterback for the Vikings, he handled any sort of outside rush with ease and was not sacked on the day.

Andre Mintze did get pressure regularly, and I liked seeing that. The only sack of the game belonged to MIntze, and he’s a developmental prospect with upside. It was good to see him produce in his first pro game – even it was just a preseason contest. Guys like Derrek Tuszka and Jonathon Cooper need to put quarterbacks under duress with more frequency. Perhaps we’ll see that as the preseason rolls on.

Malik Reed played more than I thought he would, and he didn’t make it into the box score for the Broncos (in terms of sacks or quarterback hits). He’s the primary backup behind Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, but this team needs more guys who can rush the passer from the outside frequently.

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Holy Trinity

There is no doubt that Broncos wide receiver Trinity Benson is having a great preseason and training camp. He only had four catches for 36 yards but two of those catches went for touchdowns.

Benson has speed and quickness to his game. That showed up on the field against the Vikings but so did his route-running savvy. He’s rounded out his game so that he’s more than just an athlete playing wide receiver. Benson is now a better receiver who happens to use his elite athleticism after the catch.

The best thing about Benson is that he’s not quarterback dependent. Others on the roster benefit from the quarterback battle. This means they’ll produce more or less based on who is out there throwing passes. With Benson that’s not the case. He caught one touchdown from Lock, then later in the game he caught another touchdown from Teddy Bridgewater.

The Broncos wide receiver room is packed, but Benson has the looks of a player who is too good for the Broncos to try and sneak through to the practice squad.

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