Brock Osweiler took the lead. The Broncos’ defense starred. And their running backs shared the glory.
Playing in Gary Kubiak’s zone-blocking offense, the Broncos had 113 yards rushing to Seattle’s 89 in their preseason-opening victory Friday. The bulk of those yards went to Ronnie Hillman, listed as the No. 3 back on the Broncos’ depth chart.
When starter C.J. Anderson left early with an ankle injury, Hillman took the reins and recorded 66 yards on eight carries to go along with 11 receiving yards.
Hillman’s speed and ability to push through the league’s leading defense caught some by surprise, especially after his injury-riddled 2014 season.
“I just think (people) put it down that I can’t do it because I am smaller than the other backs,” he said. “But I can do what they do. I am not too worried about what the naysayers say.”
Helping hand. Osweiler had, arguably, the finest game of his pro career Friday, offering a promising glimpse at the Broncos’ potential future. But their current starting quarterback wasn’t too far removed from the scene.
“Peyton always stays in the game,” Osweiler said Friday. “You know him. He’s not going to completely remove himself. And that’s one of the things that I really appreciate about our relationship and him being here.
“He stayed in my ear. He told me what he was seeing. We talked about some plays on the sideline. We were looking at pictures together, and so I really appreciate him being there tonight.”
