By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-7 in the final preseason game of the year. Denver was looking for a performance that would help decide the backup quarterback, Kevin Hogan or Brett Rypien. Drew Lock, who is expected to be the backup to Joe Flacco, will be out to start the season with a thumb injury. Denver needed one of them to step up to earn the spot.
Hogan started the game and played the 1st half. He was using the whole field to find the open receiver. Hogan wasn’t forcing the football into double coverage for it to be picked off. He ended the night going 12 of 23 with 138 passing yards and 1 touchdown.
The problem with Hogan was holding onto the football and interceptions. His offensive line was blocking for him, but there were times Hogan took too long looking downfield, ending up in sacks. There were other times where the line couldn’t block. Hogan was sacked 8 times. He also tossed 2 interceptions. One was behind his receiver who tipped it trying to make a play. The other one which wasn’t his fault was a “Hail Mary” at the end of the 1st half. Overall Hogan showed the Broncos’ coaching staff why he should stay on this team.
Rypien had his opportunity in the second half. He was finding the open receiver on passing plays. The offensive line gave him time to toss the football to the open man. He wasn’t sacked at all. Rypien ended 8 of 11 for 86 yards. He didn’t have a touchdown but turned it over once.
In the end, neither one looked like they were the answer if Flacco ends up being hurt and needs to miss time. The Broncos have a few options with their backups. They could keep both Rypien and Hogan which would give them depth.
The second possibility is to place Rypien on the practice squad. The downside is there would only be two quarterbacks who can play, Flacco and Hogan. If both sustain injuries in the same game, Denver would be down to an emergency quarterback.
The final option is to cut Hogan and look for a free agent quarterback. Rypien could still be placed on the practice squad. Denver might wait until cuts are over and see who is left. This is a gamble because there may not be a backup quarterback who is better than Hogan.
Tommorow, the Broncos must be down to 53 players on the active roster by 2 P.M. Mountain Time. After that they can establish the practice squad on Sunday. Denver will begin to prepare to take on the Oakland Raiders in week 1 on Monday Night Football. The coaching staff has a lot to think about at the quarterback position. fffffffffff
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