The Webb Gems were as sparkling as the summit white jerseys and sunset orange pants.
The conclusion was as obvious as Nik Bonitto’s first step.
These Broncos can win a championship. This season.
A year after coming up two victories shy of a parade, Denver looks better, bolder. Of course, the preseason does not count. And the Falcons don’t exactly inspire fear, so a best-case scenario this season would be landing a franchise quarterback like C.J. Carr or Arch Manning in the draft.
But fake games give real impressions. And the Broncos looked the part of a title team.
August is a time for overreactions, but what we saw Friday only reinforced expectations. We knew the Broncos were good. And the Falcons were not. Denver won 14 games last season with grit, clutch and luck. The 11-2 record in one-score contests has the entire NFL and Sportsbooks predicting a whiplash.
But there is an antidote. A shot of B-10. Or on this night, a capsule of Jarrett Stidham.
A percolating offense is the missing ingredient. The helipad for the yacht.
If the offense becomes a catalyst, the ceiling is the floor.
Did you see the plays Webb dialed up on the first drive? Were you watching when the football floated well beyond the line of scrimmage like a drone with evil intentions? Did the full throttle first half leave you rubbing your eyes and pinching your biceps?
Was the idea to go deep early and often?
“I definitely think so. Davis did a good job. We knew going in with some of the looks we were getting that we wanted to stretch the field a little bit,” Payton said during a halftime interview on 9News. “And then kind of give our guys some confidence, too.”
It left apountry panting. And the new Thunder mascot practicing gassers in an open field in parts unknown.
It was one game against an underwhelming team. But at the same time, the Broncos were more explosive, more dynamic, more balanced. It felt more like the days of Peyton Manning than Russell Wilson.
In 18 years of calling plays for the Saints and Broncos, Payton rarely, if ever, led an offense to a touchdown on the first drive in the preseason opener.
Webb made it look easy.
“He was thinking about having his best night,” said Payton of Webb’s game plan after the Broncos’ eighth consecutive preseason victory.
The Broncos drove 69 yards on six plays. Stidham — if there is a Canton for the preseason, he gets a gold jacket — completed all three of his passes. He opened with a 15-yard laser to Pat Bryant, who continued his momentum as the camp darling. He delivered a 40-yard jump ball to Courtland Sutton at the goal line.
The Broncos finished the first quarter with 167 yards on 19 plays and 11 first downs. They had 10 first downs against the Raiders in the 10-7 victory last November. And 12 in London against the Jets, leaving confused international fans yearning for the salad days of futbol.
They scored 17 points in the first 30 minutes without Bo Nix, who is poised to move into the top 15 of NFL quarterbacks this season on his current trajectory.
They ran roughshod without Jaylen Waddle, the entire reason this season is supposed to be different. He stayed home because of a leg injury. Probably a good thing. He might have aggravated his hamstring just watching.
The Broncos produced three promising drives without Marvin Mims Jr., their fastest player, and J.K. Dobbins, their best runner.
Jonah Coleman looked like a between-the-tackles bruiser and showed strength by carrying defenders for extra yards.
The tight end formerly known as Evan Engram caught a pass for 24 yards in the middle of the field. Troy Franklin delivered a single reception for 23.
Are the days of the Tyler Badie running back screen and the behind-the-line-of-scrimmage toss to Adam Trautman finally over?
I know what you are thinking: The pot-bellied genie actually granted our wish.
The Broncos smoked the Falcons 27-7. They won one game last season by more than 20 points, a 28-3 thrashing of the Jake Browning-led Cincinnati Bengals.
What’s more, the tempo was noticeable. The Broncos were moving fast. The play was getting in quickly. The hockey line changes will never go away, but everything seemed seamless with Payton as the CEO and Webb as the OC.
“It was a smooth operation,” Payton said. “The subs were good. Davis was on point. Thought the Qs did a good job of getting in and out of the huddle.”
Once you believe the offense can be dynamic, the other pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Playing with a lead, something foreign to the Broncos last season as they won 14 games despite trailing in 15 games, unlocks a new level.
The defense can play with sticky fingers, stealing the ball as opponents are forced to pass in third-and-forevers.
Denver delivered two interceptions on Friday. The Broncos had 10 last season. Riley Moss got one pick, tying his total from a year ago, his terrific grab of a terrible pass a reminder that Vance Joseph’s defense is bent on producing more takeaways.
When Payton said a year ago that he viewed his team as capable of winning a Super Bowl, he was on an island. The Broncos were considered too young, too unproven, too unbalanced.
But if they can run the ball early to improve first- and second-down efficiency, they are something else entirely.
Yes, it was a single meaningless game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium that had all the energy of Eeyore — “A lot of people dressed as empty seats,” Payton trolled — but it seems like the Broncos have more weapons and have a chance to be consistent.
Again, if the offense ranks in the top 15 in most categories, and the unit can score 27 points per game with this defense, you know where this story ends.
On Valentine’s Day at SoFi Stadium.
We would all love that.
