Denver Broncos at Chicago Bears: 5 Quick Takeaways

CHICAGO, IL – AUGUST 10: Mitchell Trubisky /

The Denver Broncos managed to escape Soldier Field with a 24-17 victory over the Chicago Bears, aided by a late 4th quarter comeback.

It was an enjoyable back-and-forth affair that featured plenty of memorable moments for both teams, good and bad. In other words it was a classic preseason game. Nobody cared about the final score, merely how certain players performed. There will be plenty of tape to take from this game, most of it useful. Here are some takeaways from the action.

The Broncos defense remains a force

It took one series for the Denver defense to appear in midseason form as they intercepted Mike Glennon for a touchdown on the very first series. Then they took advantage of a botched snap to recover a fumble. Even their run defense was on point most of the evening, limiting the Bears for most of the 1st quarter. The fact they did it without Von Miller on the field should assuage any fears about their regressing.

Paxton Lynch still doesn’t look the part

At the same time the Broncos didn’t see what they’d hoped to on the offensive side. This was supposed to be the year that Paxton Lynch ascended to the starting job. Instead the big quarterback looked indecisive and slow on reads a lot in the game. He didn’t generate much production and failed to sustain drives. Trevor Siemian is now in firm control of the starting job, and that’s not likely to change.

Mental lapses cost Bears the victory

By rights this game should’ve belonged to Chicago, but it was proof positive that the team who makes the most mistakes most often loses. Not only did the Bears have two bad turnovers, their receivers and tight ends dropped a number of easy passes that stalled promising drives. It was eve worse on defense as they gave up plays of 40+ yards for touchdowns on back-to-back drives. Both coming from terrible reads and angles. The cost of being a young team.

Mitch Trubisky is battling time, not Mike Glennon

One preseason game cannot and should not ruin Glennon’s chance to start in 2017. There should be better nights for him. At the same time, the performance by Mitch Trubisky (18-of-25 for 168 yards and 1 TD) hammered home an inescapable conclusion. It’s only a matter of time before that Bears job belongs to him. He’s far too gifted to hold back for longer than a season. It won’t even be that long if Glennon doesn’t get better.

Leonard Floyd is destined for double digit sacks

A big positive for the Bears defense on the night was their young outside linebacker Leonard Floyd. For weeks the media raved about his progress in practice. He was bigger and stronger with better technique. On the first play of action, he proved it with a sack of Siemian. Based on how things look, the only thing holding Floyd back from going 10 sacks or more this year is his health. If he makes it through 14-16 games, it’s happening.

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