The Denver Broncos‘ Bo Nix joined the other first-round quarterbacks in making his NFL preseason debut — another positive one, at that — and the Indianapolis Colts‘ Anthony Richardson officially returned to action after being shut down in his rookie campaign due to injury.
The Broncos took the high-scoring affair, 34-30, aided by three rushing scores and a positive showing from the rookie Nix.
PFF’s dedicated team of graders was hard at work, analyzing every player on every play in real time. The grades and data will be available after a thorough review tomorrow at 12 p.m. EST.
In the meantime, we’ve gathered some high-level data and snap counts from the game to give you an early look. Our expert graders have also nominated the standout player of the game, highlighting exceptional performance on the field.
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PLAYER OF THE GAME
While the offenses took center stage in this game, we’ll lock in on a rookie pass-rusher. Broncos third-round pick Jonah Elliss played 22 snaps — 10 in run defense, nine as a pass-rusher and three in coverage — and made a significant impact.
The Utah product picked up a game-high four quarterback pressures, including his first sack and a hit that resulted in an interception.
BOX SCORE
| Broncos | Colts | |
| Total points | 34 | 30 |
| Total offensive plays | 78 | 51 |
| Average EPA per play | -0.007 | -0.042 |
| Total net yards | 354 | 289 |
| Avg yards per play | 4.5 | 5.7 |
| Total first downs | 32 | 16 |
| Rushing first downs | 10 | 5 |
| Passing first downs | 17 | 10 |
| Penalty first downs | 5 | 1 |
| Third-down efficiency | 67% | 40% |
| Fourth-down efficiency | 60% | 17% |
| Possessions | 12 | 10 |
| Avg plays per drive | 7.2 | 5.9 |
| Avg yards per drive | 27.2 | 26.3 |
| Avg points per drive | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Red-zone possessions | 6 | 5 |
| Red-zone plays | 21 | 14 |
| Red-zone TDs | 4 | 2 |
| Red-zone FGs | 1 | 1 |
| Red-zone scoring efficiency | 83% | 60% |
SNAP COUNTS & PLAYER PARTICIPATION
