Preseason Blitz: Quarterback position not yet settled for Broncos, 49ers

Ron Clements

•
Preseason Blitz: Quarterback position not yet settled for Broncos, 49ers image

Perhaps the most intriguing game of Saturday's exhibition schedule was in Denver with both the San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos trying to figure out who will start at quarterback. 

Neither team is any closer to figuring it out. 

Saturday was Trevor Siemian's turn to start for the Broncos and he played well, despite being picked by 49ers safety Eric Reid, who returned it 42 yards for a touchdown. 

It was the only mistake for the second-year quarterback from Northwestern, who was a seventh-round draft pick last year. Siemian went 10 for 14 for 75 yards and led a scoring drive on his opening series. 

It should be noted the 49ers defense was without veteran defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey, second-year defensive end Arik Armstead and first-round pick DeForest Buckner.

MORE: NFL preseason power rankings — where do the 49ers, Broncos fall?

Mark Sanchez, who started the preseason opener against the Chicago Bears and was 10 of 13 for 99 yards with a touchdown and interception, took over from Siemian in the second quarter. He didn't throw a TD or a pick Saturday on a 10-for-17 night that saw him toss for 120 yards. He did, however, lose two fumbles in Saturday's 31-24 loss to the Niners. 

Paxton Lynch, whom the Broncos selected in the first round of this year's draft, finished the game by going 15 of 26 for 113 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. 

The Niners are still without Colin Kaepernick because of an ailing arm. Blaine Gabbert got the start and went 6 for 9 for 69 yards before being relieved by rookie Jeff Driskel, a sixth-round pick from Louisiana Tech. Driskel's numbers nearly mirrored Gabbert's, going 6 of 7 for 66 yards. Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder finished up, going 7 of 8 for 86 yards and a touchdown. 

Injury roundup

— Bills running back Mike Gillislee ran for six yards on his first carry Saturday, but it was his only carry of the game. The third-year back from Florida was evaluated for a concussion after getting hit and did not return to Buffalo's 21-0 win over the Giants. 

— Giants wide receiver Dwayne Harris (knee) was taken in for X-rays during the loss to the Bills, but the X-rays came back negative. Harris, who is New York's primary return man, will have an MRI Sunday morning. Safety Mykkele Thompson also suffered a concussion in the loss. 

— Indianapolis Colts rookie guard Joe Haeg injured his right ankle after getting rolled up on and did not return to the 19-18 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Colts also lost cornerback Patrick Robinson to a groin injury. 

— Los Angeles Rams receiver Bradley Marquez (right leg) and Kansas City Chiefs fullback Trey Millard (left knee) were both carted to the locker room during Saturday’s 21-20 Rams win at the Los Angeles Coliseum. 

— There were a couple of players dinged from Thursday's games with Chicago Bears running back Jeremy Langford and Detroit Lions rookie center Graham Glasgow both in walking boots Saturday. Langord tweaked something in his left foot and the Bears said holding him out of practice and placing him in a boot was just precautionary. Glasgow, a third-round pick out of Michigan, also had a boot on his left foot, though Lions coach Jim Caldwell didn't seem overly concerned about Glasgow missing significant time.

Impact rookies

Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry ran for 31 yards on only six carries against the Carolina Panthers, but Saturday's big plays for the Titans came courtesy of former Temple receiver Tajae Sharpe. The fifth-round pick caught six passes for 68 yards in the 26-16 loss at Nissan Stadium. 

The Bills defense was excellent while blanking the Giants. Part of the reason was undrafted linebacker Bryson Albright, who had a tackle and recovered a second-half fumble. 

Vernon Hargreaves took a step toward being the starting cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former Florida star finished Saturday's 27-21 win the Jaguars with a pair of interceptions. 

The Houston Texans selected Will Fuller in the first round and the former Notre Dame standout looked the part Saturday with four catches for 73 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown pass from Brock Osweiler. 

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to love defensive back Jalen Ramsey if the No. 5 overall pick in April's draft continues to come up to make plays in the backfield. The 6-yard loss was the first of three tackles for Ramsey against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Highlights

Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor was 7 of 10 for 132 yards with a beautiful scoring strike to a diving LeSean McCoy.

Ted Ginn led the Panthers last year with 10 receiving touchdowns. His blazing speed led to a 61-yard score from Cam Newton in Saturday's 26-16 win over the Titans.

This is the Jadeveon Clowney the Houston Texans were expecting. Clowney abused New Orleans Saints tackle Andrus Peat to sack Drew Brees in the second quarter of the 16-9 win. 

NFL preseason scores Week 2 

Thursday’s games

Eagles 17, Steelers 0
Bengals 30, Lions 14
Patriots 23, Bears 22
Falcons 24, Browns 13
Packers 20, Raiders 12
Vikings 18, Seahawks 11

Friday’s games 

Redskins 22, Jets 18
Cowboys 41, Dolphins 14
Chargers 19, Cardinals 3

Saturday’s games

Panthers 26, Titans 16
Bills 21, Giants 0
Ravens 19, Colts 18
Buccaneers 27, Jaguars 21
Texans 16, Saints 9
49ers 31, Broncos 24
Rams 21, Chiefs 20

Ron Clements