Although it’s hard to imagine Denver coach Gary Kubiak saw enough in either quarterback to name him the definitive starter, he did speak highly of Siemian in his post-game press conference.
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Callahan said he was trying to do too much, a common affliction for a young player this early in the season. If the group plays with the selfless passion and big-play moxie it did last season, as well as avoids injuries, it should be in a position to power the Broncos once again. First-round pick cornerback Artie Burns missed the game with a nagging thigh injury, while linebackers Bud Dupree and Jarvis Jones – former first-round picks – also sat out. There were some bright sides, so let’s look at both sides of the ball.
The Bears’ line is still figuring out its chemistry after Hroniss Grasu went down with an ACL tear, but their first performance on Thursday still left something to be desired. It’s the preseason and the Bears offensive line isn’t exactly stellar. Jay Cutler was sacked twice in his limited playing time.
The only touchdown the Bears gave up on defense all night came on Denver’s first drive. This has to be a concern moving forward in the development of the Bears offense. He caught one pass, on the Bears’ first play. Although his one catch was insignificant, it showed his speed, agility and size. He will be given every opportunity to continue showing off his game to the Broncos. Overall, the Bears offense had a total of 130 yards compared to the 344 the Broncos had.
In just a quarter of work, Sanchez completed 77 percent of his passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, while also converting several key third-down conversions – including a 32-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas.
If the Bears lose Carey or Washington for an extended period of time, it won’t necessarily devastate the roster, but it will chip away at the depth that always proves to be so crucial for an National Football League team’s success in a season.
What it does mean is that the Bears have plenty of work to do before the regular season gets underway in one month. It looks as though there could very well be two quality starters on this team.
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In the second quarter, I fixed my eyes on rookie defensive end Jonathan Bullard, who got run over on a six-yard gain. “We still have guys who have to get out there – Eddie Royal and Zach [Miller] so we’re still short some guys that hopefully we’ll get back this week”. This is the Bears’ offensive line and nothing significant is going to change at this point. After all, many great teams are known for losing all four games in the preseason. Two field goals and a safety were the only other scores the Bears’ defense surrendered.
