Football is finally here! Well, preseason football, but we will take it for now, and I’ll tell you what to watch for when all those guys come in that you have never heard of.
Starting Over
As far as preseason games go, the Broncos should be a decent team to watch. They made some significant moves this offseason, including changes in personnel in key places as well as head coach and quarterback.
The new face under center for Denver this year is veteran Joe Flacco. John Elway pulled the trigger on bringing in Flacco after the Ravens decided to move forward with their rookie QB Lamar Jackson.
Flacco is entering his 12th season in the NFL, and he has a career QBR of 84.1 from his years with the Ravens. This will be Flacco’s first year with a new head coach in a new system, and it will be interesting to see how he can adjust.
The other QB to have your eye on will be their rookie, Drew Lock. Lock played football at the University of Missouri, and his draft stock was up and down during the season. He was eventually drafted by the Broncos in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft. Lock is currently battling in camp with QB Kevin Hogan, who will get the start for Denver in this game.
The biggest key for the Broncos in this game will be their new head coach, Vic Fangio. Fangio has coached in different positions with the Saints, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Ravens, 49ers, and Bears. He has been the Bears defensive coordinator since 2015, and he applied for the head coaching job prior to the 2018 season and was ultimately passed over for Matt Nagy. Fangio signed an extension as the defensive coordinator, and it eventually landed him his first head coaching job with the Broncos.
Making Some Tweaks
The Falcons are coming off a disappointing 7-9 season and will look to make a move in the right direction starting with this opening game. Atlanta spent its first two draft picks this season on offensive linemen to protect Matt Ryan and get their offense firing on all cylinders. Another spot the Falcons focused on this offseason was the safety position. Their injuries last year left them very depleted in the defensive secondary, and it cost them in the long run.
While the Broncos will be focusing on their premier positions in this game, the Falcons will be focusing on the performance of their offensive line and watching which of their backups will be fighting for a chance at the 53-man roster.
The Falcons would like to get back to business as usual. While last season was disappointing, they have the roster to compete with anyone and will just need to fine-tune things over the preseason to set themselves up for success in the regular season.
What To Expect
The Broncos will have much more to test out in this game with their new coaches, quarterbacks, and game plans, so look for them to take this game a little more seriously and most likely push for a win. The Falcons are 0-8 over the last two seasons in preseason games while the Broncos value them in a different way and have gone 6-2. I will take the Broncos to win this one as well.
