Despite the loss in the first Preseason game, the head coach finally looks and feels different for Denver.

Good morning, Broncos Country!

Preseason game No. 1 is in the books for the Denver Broncos.

How you choose to evaluate (or don’t) the loss to the Arizona Cardinals is entirely up to you.

What is nice to see, however, is a competent Denver head coach on the sideline for the first time since Gary Kubiak. Whether that leads to success in the regular season remains to be seen, but it’s a great change.

Seeing that orange Broncos visor, you know the expectations have changed.

As Payton told the media after the game:

“What I told the team, regardless of whether it is a preseason game or a regular season game, you can’t stand losing. Especially in that fashion. We will look at the tape (on Saturday) and there will be a number of things that we will be excited about. There will be a number of things that we have to clean up. We are in a race to do that now that we have an opponent on film against us. We start from there.”

You could see those expectations in real-time with Payton’s decision to keep the offense on the field for a fourth possession. It worked since Russell Wilson and the Broncos capped the drive with a touchdown. The hope is that can serve as a harbinger in the games and weeks ahead.

“We looked at the numbers and we went one more with the offense,” Payton said after the game. “I think defense totals. It was a little easier and then I wanted to, shoot I wanted to score and leave with a good taste in our mouths.”

Payton’s decision played well in the locker room with the players.

As Wilson said to the media after the game:

“I thought it was really good how we responded. After the first drive the ball really started moving, the third drive and fourth drive obviously we finished it off. It was a really great route by Jerry Jeudy. Good job by him just getting open there in a split second. They brought on full pressure and he did a great job winning and getting the touchdown for us and that was big.”

How the regular season plays out is a blank page yet to be written, but it sure is nice to have a competent head coach on the Broncos sideline again.

Broncos News

Rookie RB Jaleel McLaughlin punctuates first NFL action with fourth-quarter touchdown
McLaughlin translated his success in training camp to the Broncos’ pivotal fourth-quarter drive.

Denver Broncos kick off 2023 preseason at Arizona Cardinals | 9news.com
The Broncos kick off the 2023 preseason on the road against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.

Broncos' starting offense finishes with flourish in preseason opening loss
The Denver Broncos fell 18-17 in the 2023 preseason opener, but the night will be remembered for how the first-string offense finished.

Broncos veterans walk fine line between competition and mentorship - ESPN - Denver Broncos Blog- ESPN
Vets like Kareem Jackson find themselves mentoring the next generation of players who could potentially snag their starting jobs.

Jaleel McLaughlin's name wasn't spelled right ... but his game was completely right - Denver Sports
Jaleel McLaughlin was so anonymous that his last name was misspelled on his jersey. But he began making a name for himself Friday.

NFL News

NFL preseason 2023 Week 1 takeaways and schedule - ESPN
The NFL preseason continued on Friday with six more games. Here are the key performances from opening night of Week 1.

NFL news roundup: Latest league updates from Saturday, Aug. 12
NFL.com keeps you up to date with all of the latest league news from around the NFL. Visit NFL.com's transaction hub for a daily breakdown.

Can Dak Prescott lead Cowboys to Super Bowl? Plus, thoughts on Eric Bieniemy and Seattle's secondary
No player enters this season under more pressure than Dak Prescott. Does the Cowboys QB have what it takes to end Dallas' 27-year Super Bowl drought? Is Eric Bieniemy's coaching style a legit problem? Bucky Brooks explores those questions in the Scout's N

NFL CMO Dr. Allen Sills calls kickoff rule 'stopgap' measure, talks future of playing surfaces, Guardian Caps
NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills made an appearance Friday on "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss a number of topics ahead of the 2023 season, from the adoption of a new kickoff rule to the use of Guardian caps during training camp practices.