Five Takeaways From Denver Broncos 14-10 Win Over Houston Texans

The Denver Broncos (2-0) stayed perfect in the preseason after scoring a 26-yard touchdown from rookie Trevor Siemian to wide receiver Corbin Loucks in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to beat the Houston Texans (1-1) 14-10 on Saturday night at NRG Stadium.

Peyton Manning made his preseason debut, quarterbacking the first four drives. Head Coach Gary Kubiak started Manning out in the familiar no-huddle offense before moving him into a combination of shotgun and lining up behind center. Manning was 8 of 14 for 52 yards.

Manning and the Broncos' first-team offense were victims of their own mistakes as their drives stalled due to inopportune penalties and dropped passes. However, Kubiak liked how Manning ran the new offense his first time out.

"He operated fine," Kubiak said. "We didn't help him in a couple situations, on third down. We had a couple of big drops on the three or four series when he played ... I thought he was sharp in running the group and running the no-huddle for a first time out."

The following are five takeaways from the Denver Broncos 14-10 victory over the Houston Texans:

1. Offensive Line Continues To Grow

With Peyton Manning making his first start of the preseason, attention was naturally focused on the inexperienced offensive line, especially rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo. The Broncos playoff hopes ride on Manning staying healthy throughout the season. A young offensive line left many apprehensive and wondering if that would be possible. At the conclusion of the game against Houston, the Broncos could breathe a sigh of relief as confidence in the revamped line and the "baby blockers" continues to grow.

The first team offensive line protected Manning well during his four offensive drives. Manning wasn't touched as the line continued to improve as a group. Communication amongst themselves and with Manning was good with no false start penalties.

Sambrailo showed his athleticism and quickness at left tackle as he was able to move downfield and block for the running game. As he continues to grow into the position coaches and General Manager John Elway have come away impressed and heap praise upon their second round draft pick. If Sambrailo's intelligence and athleticism allows him to fulfill the promise he is showing there may be difficult choices to be made next year when all-pro Ryan Clady returns from his ACL injury.

2. Brandon Marshall Returns To Form

Like Manning, Brandon Marshall was making his 2015 preseason debut. Recovering from surgery in March, Marshall will be playing the entire season with screws in his right foot and fighting through some pain.

The effects of surgery didn't show against the Texans on Saturday night as Marshall, who led the Broncos last season with 113 tackles, put on a show speeding around the field making plays. He collected three solo tackles and defended three passes.

On a third-and-5 from the Broncos 47-yard line, an athletic play by Marshall to break up a pass from Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett to running back Alfred Blue prevented a first down and the continuation of a decent drive that started at the Houston 22-yard line.

Marshall, like the rest of the Denver defense, is excelling in Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips' aggressive 3-4 defense so far.

"I felt good," Marshall said in the locker room following the game. "Obviously you want to improve on everything or some things each week. I thought I could have played against the run a little better, but I thought I did well against the pass. I just want to keep getting better, and as my foot keeps feeling better, I think I'll play better."

3. Defense Will Be Strength Of 2015 Broncos

12 sacks in two games by the Broncos pass rush has been impressive. True it's the preseason, but what has stood out in all those sacks is it hasn't been all Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. Linebacker Shaquil Barrett, a undrafted free agent signee by the Broncos in 2014, spent most of last season on the practice squad. He has emerged as a player to watch during the preseason. Barrett so far has two sacks and six tackles.

Showing confidence and a high comfort level with Wade Phillip's defense, Barrett has played himself into strong contention for a spot on the 53-man roster. Barrett, along with first round pick Shane Ray are providing talented depth to the linebacking corps. The linebackers along with one of the better secondaries in the NFL are feeding off of each other, making the defense a real strength for the Broncos. For the first time since Manning has been in Denver the defense will surpass the offense as the strength of the Denver Broncos.

4. Special Teams Improves Slightly

The positive regarding the Broncos special teams performance against the Texans was that they didn't give up a 103-yard return for a touchdown or fumbled punt returns. The bad was that the Broncos offense had several drives that started inside their own 10-yard line thanks to the inability of the return team to make a play to get the ball past the 20-yard line.

Omar Bolden played in his first preseason game against the Texans and will be competing primarily with Isaiah Burse for the return job. The Broncos are hoping by the end of the preseason someone will step forward to claim the job.

The kicking competition seems to be coming down to who is better at kicking off, Brandon McManus or Spencer Lanning. Connor Barth replaced McManus last season as the field goal kicker with McManus handling kickoffs. Barth has done nothing to lose his job and with the arrival of Lanning the Broncos have two strong legs to compete for the kickoff job.

5. Trevor Siemian Passes Zac Dysert For #3 Quarterback

Seventh round draft pick Trevor Siemian has been a pleasant surprise at quarterback this preseason. He has exhibited confidence on the field, a cannon for an arm, and has played well in practice and in games. His 26-yard go-ahead touchdown pass to Corbin Loucks gave the Broncos the lead with just minutes remaining in the game. The pass dropped perfectly Loucks hands as he outran the defender.

Zac Dysert on the other hand has not looked comfortable in the new offense and at times has looked lost. It's very possible that Dysert will be released by the end of the preseason and Siemian will find himself on the final roster. It's unlikely that Siemian would make it through waivers unclaimed by another team in order to be signed on to the Broncos practice roster.

Coming up:

The Broncos will practice Monday and Tuesday before welcoming the San Francisco 49ers for joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday. The two teams will meet at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Saturday night at 9 PM ET/7 PM MT for a week 3 matchup, the final tune up for veterans before the regular season.