The Denver Broncos won in Sunday’s preseason home opener against the visiting Green Bay Packers. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix received his first NFL start, and he did more than enough to make Broncos Country ‘Bo’lieve he should be the Week 1 starter in the regular season.

Denver Broncos topple Green Bay Packers

Nix’s home debut in a Broncos uniform was one of three key moments that come under the microscope following Sunday’s preseason win against the Packers.

Bo Nix continues impressive play, should lock up starter job

Broncos Country got their first look at Bo Nix with the first-team offense in front of the home crowd. Nix and Denver took over possession for his first series after the defense forced a turnover on downs.

The rookie QB’s first drive saw him go 4-for-4 for 26 yards and two first downs en route to setting Wil Lutz up for a 37-yard field goal. Nix originally threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Javonte Williams, but he was over the line of scrimmage on a scramble drill, nullifying the TD. Regardless, he opened up the drive with decisiveness, getting rid of the football quickly on passes to wide receiver Tim Patrick and tight end Adam Trautman.

His second series saw him orchestrate an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive that saw him connect with Patrick for a touchdown that gave Denver a 10-0 lead. Nix was 4-for-5 on the drive for 54 yards and the touchdown but connected with Patrick for a 23-yard gain earlier on the drive and Courtland Sutton to set up a first and goal. Two plays prior, Denver’s offense was backed up after a holding call, and Nix scrambled for 10 yards on one play and found Sutton for 14 yards.

After two series, his night was over. In two preseason games, Nix appeared on seven drives and led Denver to score on six of them without being sacked once. His performance was effective and efficient yet again, and the Broncos offense moved the ball well, with him commanding the huddle. The competition should be over.

Denver Broncos safety Keidron Smith continues to make plays

Two weeks, two interceptions for Denver Broncos safety Keidron Smith. As roster cuts inch closer and closer, Smith is a player who has flown entirely under the radar during training camp and could see himself jumping up the depth chart. He’s made a great argument for himself, snagging an interception in Week 1 of Denver’s preseason win and returning an interception 56 yards right before the end of half to set up another scoring drive by the offense.

His ball instincts have been on display early on, and he may have made a strong enough argument for himself to make the 53-man roster as Sean Payton’s continued belief in the youth and depth of that position continues to show itself.

If he continues to make plays, he might be able to land himself a spot on the 53-man roster, especially with Brandon Jones returning from a hamstring injury, which the team is hoping won’t linger this season.

Various position battles gain clarity ahead of regular season

Not only did Nix solidify his stance as the should-be starter, but all signs point to two defensive position battles likely being decided after Week 2 of the preseason.

Cody Barton got his second consecutive start at inside linebacker next to Alex Singleton. Both players have played well next to each other and the overall rep distribution at practice has indicated the same result. Jonas Griffith will still be a player who likely rotates in on defense and will contribute quite a bit on special teams if he doesn’t win the starting job.

Riley Moss appears to be the projected CB2 opposite Patrick Surtain II after also receiving his second consecutive start. Moss ran with the first-team defense all week long during the final week of training camp and will likely get the first shot in the regular season. Damarri Mathis has also had a really strong training camp and a good preseason showing, but Denver will likely invest in last year’s third-round pick while Mathis still rotates in on defense and special teams.

Luke Wattenberg also seems to have locked up the team’s starting job at center following his second consecutive start on Sunday. He’s also received a large bulk of the reps all throughout training camp.

The Denver Broncos will wrap up their final week of preseason prep before they have to make various roster decisions after next week’s finale against the Arizona Cardinals.