The Denver Broncos won their opening preseason game of 2012 by defeating the Chicago Bears, 31-3, at Soldier Field on a rainy Thursday night. The Broncos accomplished all of their scoring after Peyton Manning concluded his night following his one drive of the game. The defense shut down a Jay Cutler-less offense, but had the former Broncos quarterback played, it likely would have been the opening drive, just like Manning.
Manning was 4-of-7 for 44 yards and threw a touchdown right outside of the Bears' endzone on the drive. That turnover led to a Bears fumble and three points for the Broncos after Matt Prater kicked a 28-yard field goal. Lance Ball (seven carries, 16 yards) scored a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter.
The offense really turned things on in the second half. Rookie quarterback Brock Osweiler looked the best of the backup quarterbacks, completing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Jason Hill in the third quarter. Osweiler finished the night 4-of-7 for 38 yards. Adam Weber completed a 25-yard touchdown pass for 25 yards, but it that was just one of two completions he made on five attempts.
Xavier Omon picked up the other touchdown by the Broncos when he punched the ball into the end zone midway through the third quarter. Omon showed great skill at absorbing hits and picking up yards after contact. He finished with seven carries for 36 yards.
The Broncos defense stymied the Bears offense, keeping them under 100 yards of total offense through three quarters. The Bears finished with 132 total yards to the Broncos' 338. The defense had six sacks, two each to rookie Derek Wolfe and Jeremy Beal and one apiece to Robert Ayers and Steven Johnson. Defensive back Joshua Moore, a former Bears player, picked off Matt Blanchard late in the fourth quarter.
The Broncos host the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, Aug. 18, at 7:00 p.m. MT.
For more on the Broncos, check out Mile High Report. Head over to SB Nation NFL for more news and notes as we continue through the preseason.
