Five Takeaways From Broncos 22-20 Win Over Seahawks

The Denver Broncos came away from their 22-20 preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks healthy and feeling pretty good about their performance on offense and defense.

The Broncos went into Friday night's game against the Seahawks with Peyton Manning on the sidelines and Brock Osweiler taking snaps behind a offensive line that had three of it's five starters having never taken a NFL regular season snap. None of it ended up mattering as Osweiler recorded his best game as a Bronco and the o-line punched enough holes to give the running game a hundred yard first half.

The defense smothered Russell Wilson and the Seahawks' first team offense. Wilson managed one completion for 12 yards in his two series and was sacked twice, including a huge sack by Von Miller that caused him to cough up the ball deep in Seattle territory. Miller's sack was just the first of seven total sacks of Seahawk quarterbacks. Denver's defense allowed just 181 total yards to the Seahawks in the game.

1. Brock Osweiler records his best performance as a Bronco. Heading into training camp the Broncos had questions to answer about their 2012 second round pick. In the final year of his rookie contract and with limited playing time to evaluate his talent, questions remain if Osweiler is the true heir to Manning. Friday night's first half performance began to answer some of those questions in a positive way.

Behind a inexperienced offensive line and under intense pressure from the Seahawks pass rush, Osweiler answered the call by completing 15 of 20 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. All five of the Broncos first-half drives resulted in a score.

With Manning looking on from the sidelines after getting the night off, Osweiler looked comfortable and in control of head coach Gary Kubiak's new offense. The only bump in the road came on the second play of the game when Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril blew by rookie left tackle Ty Sambrailo to record the only sack of Osweiler.

Osweiler's ability to move in the pocket and get the ball away quickly helped to mask the early jitters of Sambrailo, fellow rookie Max Garcia at right guard and the second year Matt Paradis at center.

2. Young offensive line showed improvement as game went on. It ended up being a far better night for the Broncos o-line then many had thought. With four new starters on the line, only right guard Louis Vasquez occupying the same position from a year ago, the line shook off early jitters and held together well under tremendous pressure.

As the half progressed the line's early communication errors were corrected and the unit began to move as a cohesive group as they made their blocks.

The line was especially effective in the running game as they executed Kubiak's zone-blocking to the tune of 101 rushing yards in the first half.

3. Von Miller's training camp dominance shows up in game action. Miller has been performing on a whole other level during training camp. Coming into camp he had expressed his determination to rededicate himself to the game and cleaning up the personal issues that led to a four-game suspension in 2013. So far it has paid off.

On the first play of the game for the Seahawks, Miller tossed left tackle Justin Britt aside and ran straight into Wilson, slapping the ball from his hand as he wrapped him up for the first of the defense's seven sacks. Grins could be seen on the faces of the Broncos offensive linemen as they enjoyed seeing an opponent experiencing Miler's slash and spin pass rush that they had been dealing with all training camp.

Miller stayed in the game for Seattle's second possession and ran down Seahawks' new tight end Jimmy Graham after he caught a 12-yard pass that was Wilson's only completion of the night.

Miller is in the final year of his contract, and with defensive coordinator Wade Phillips instituting a 3-4 defense that maximizes the speed of linebackers in the pass rush, he has all the incentive and opportunity for a huge year.

4. Broncos running backs effective running the ball and blocking in pass game.

C.J. Anderson, Montee Ball, and Ronnie Hillman averaged 6.3 yards per carry as the running game racked up 113 yards on the ground, of which 101 came in the first half between the top three runners.

Anderson twisted his ankle in the first-quarter and was pulled from the game out of precaution after carrying three times for eight yards. Hillman stole the show after Anderson exited the game, rushing eight times for a team-high 66 yards. Ball added 26 yards on eight carries.

Ball and Hillman are locked in a battle for the backup role to Anderson. Hillman was explosive against the Seahawks, especially running to the left side. Sambrailo used his athleticism and speed to block for Hillman at the line of scrimmage and downfield. Anderson was a handful as he steamed ahead for tough yards, including a run of 12 yards.

Ball and Hillman also earned kudos from coaches for their pass blocking, essential for the running backs as the offensive line goes through its growing pains. Both running backs were able to pick up blitzes and hold their blocks.

5. Special teams needs work. The holes on special teams in the return game were large and plentiful as the Seahawks gained 236 yards and a touchdown. Seahawks rookie Tyler Lockett returned a kickoff for 103 yards.

The bright spot was the field goal kicking of Connor Barth and Brandon McManus. Both kickers combined to go 5-for-5 in field goals. McManus showed off his leg strength by connecting on a 52 yarder.

Rookie Watch:

Linebacker Shane Ray

Broncos first round pick Shane Ray impressed in his debut at linebacker. Ray's speed coming off the edge combined with a wicked first step allowed him to cause havoc in the Seahawks' backfield. In the second quarter Ray caused a fumble that cost Seattle 34 yards.

Quarterback Trevor Siemian

Seventh round pick Trevor Siemian took over at quarterback in the fourth quarter and performed well in his two offensive series. Siemian (5-of-6, 90 yards) kept his composure in the pocket and connected on his first five passes. His sixth was slightly overthrown in the endzone to tight end Dominique Jones.