The Denver Broncos opened up the preseason against the San Francisco 49ers tonight, and after some early struggles, went on to dominate the game and come away with the victory. The Broncos’ defense gave up an early touchdown to the 49ers, and the Broncos’ offensive starters looked shaky, but their reserves outplayed the 49ers, and they came away with the 30-9 victory.

It wasn’t a perfect game, but plenty of players stood out while others will leave this game as losers. With all that said, here are your winners and losers from the Broncos’ 30-9 victory over the 49ers.

LOSER – QB Bo Nix and the starting offense

It’s way too early to be hitting the panic button, but the Broncos’ starting offense did not look great tonight. The protection wasn’t great, Bo Nix’s accuracy wasn’t there tonight, and they struggled to do much of anything against the 49ers’ backup defense.

Certainly not what you want to see from a unit that has had its struggles during camp, but it’s still early. This was just the preseason opener; there likely was little to no game-planning, and they have about a month to week one of the season. We know Bo Nix is better than this, Sean Payton will get this offense going, and it’s way too early to be hitting the panic button.

With that said, they leave this game on the loser list.

WINNER – Broncos Defense (after that first drive)

The opening drive sucked and featured a 50+ yard pass play on third down with Ja’Quan McMillian in coverage. It wasn’t great from a defense that has been hyped up all offseason. However, after this score, the defense (1st, 2nd, and 3rd team defenses) did not give up a single point the rest of the game.

We saw the pass rush step up (More on that later), we saw multiple turnovers, forced fumbles, and key plays to stop the 49ers’ offense. It should be noted that the 49ers’ 3rd and 4th string quarterbacks are not very good, but it was still a good showing by the Broncos’ defense.

LOSER – Punter Jeremy Crawshaw

I came into this game excited to see our Aussie rookie punter boom some punts.

Crawshaw’s punts were not great. He failed to pin the 49ers inside the 20-yard line at one point, didn’t have great hang time, and just didn’t look like the punter we were promised. It was noted that he has been inconsistent during camp, but we also heard how he was booming punts and downing them inside the 20-yard line.

Hopefully, it was just some rookie jitters, but it was not a great showing for the Broncos’ rookie punter.

WINNER – Wide Receiver Troy Franklin

Is Troy Franklin a starter?

It might be a tad early to read into things, but Franklin saw a ton of time with the Broncos’ starting offense tonight. He was targeted a bit by Bo Nix and finished the game with 3 receptions for 18 yards.

Franklin’s rise started during the offseason practices, where he was having a bunch of explosive plays, according to Sean Payton. He continued that into training camp, started to see more time with the starters, and started tonight’s game with the first team offense. It’s hard not to come away from this game calling Troy Franklin a winner.

WINNER – Running Back’s Tyler Badie and Blake Watson

I thought rookie R.J. Harvey looked good tonight, but he’s already locked into a role on offense, so I am going to focus on the other backs.

Tyler Badie was mentioned as a dark horse for a roster spot after the Broncos’ joint practice vs. the 49ers, and he continued to impress during tonight’s game. He looked explosive, shifty, made people miss, was in pass blocking, and led all Broncos running backs on the night with 5 carries for 32 yards.

Just using the eye test, he looked like the Broncos’ best back tonight. He can run the ball, is a good pass catcher, can pass block, and just does everything a Sean Payton running back needs to do. I know Jaleel McLaughlin is a nice story, is favored to make the roster, and is a favorite of Payton, but he needs to look over his shoulder because Badie is making a strong case for a roster spot.

As for Watson, he looked damn good, too. I was a big fan of his during the draft process, and he looked like the back I thought they were getting last season. He looked explosive, ran through tacklers, made defenders miss, and is also a reliable pass catcher. He did this against the 49ers’ third-stringers, but still, he looked good.

LOSER – Running Back Audric Estime

I tweeted this out, but it’s true. Estime looks like post-knee injury Javonte Williams. Slow, lacks vision, and didn’t look nearly as good as the other running backs. He also played behind Harvey, Dobbins, McLaughlin, and Badie tonight and didn’t see his first snap until after halftime.

Just using the eye test, Estime looked like the Broncos’ worst back tonight. I came out of this game wanting to see more of Badie and Watson and less of Estime. We’ll see how it shakes out, but as of right now, I do not think he’s making the 53-man roster.

WINNER – Wide Receiver Trent Sherfield Sr.

The special teamer/blocker who many have overlooked this offseason proved tonight that he’s also a playmaker at wide receiver. He finished the night with 3 receptions for 73 yards which included this beautiful touchdown reception from quarterback Jarrett Stidham.

You can Sharpie Trent Sherfield Sr. in on your 53-man roster projections. He will be a core special teamer, used as a blocker, and could have a larger role in the offense than many of us anticipated. If he continues to make plays like that, I will not complain.

LOSER – Wide Receiver Devaughn Vele

Marvin Mims Jr. and Troy Franklin are ascending, rookie wide receiver Pat Bryant looked good tonight, and Trent Sherfield Sr. is making beautiful toe-tapping touchdown receptions. Not included in this list is Devaughn Vele. He finished the night with 1 reception for 6 yards and could be falling behind the other wide receivers in the room.

I will note that I do not know if any of this is a reality, but it looks that way coming out of this game.

Vele entered the league as an older rookie who probably already reached his ceiling. He looked good last year, but since then, the younger players have all developed and may have passed Vele on the depth chart. Right now, Vele appears to be behind Sutton, Mims, and Franklin on the depth chart. Bryant looked good, and Sherfield will be active on gamedays due to his special teams work. Where does that leave Vele?

WINNER – QB Jarrett Stidham

After Bo Nix left the game with the rest of the Broncos starters after some shaky play, Jarrett Stidham took the field and started to deal. He finished the night going 14 for 15 for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns. He would add 3 rush attempts for 36 yards on top of that.

No, he’s not coming for Bo Nix’s job, but he showed he can run and operate Sean Payton’s offense and be effective at it. That’s all you want from a veteran backup, and he showed that tonight.

WINNER – EDGE Nik Bonitto

After the Broncos’ defense looked shaky during their first drive that resulted in a 49ers touchdown, Nik Bonitto took matters into his own hands. On three straight snaps, Bonitto had 2 sacks and nearly a third sack, and completely destroyed the 49ers’ drive.

Bonitto took over the game and looked very Von Miller-esque during these three snaps and once again proved why the Broncos need to re-sign him sooner rather than later. They signed Courtland Sutton and Zach Allen to extensions, and Bonitto should be their next priority.

Broncos pass protection – LOSERS: I don’t have the numbers nor have I watched the film, but simply from the eye test, the Broncos blockers struggled tonight vs. the 49ers. This is mostly focused on the Broncos’ first-team offense allowed pressure to get to Bo Nix on almost every snap it seemedCornerback Kris Abrams-Draine – WINNER: Had coverage all game, had some good PBU’s, and looks like a really good player for the Broncos.Kicker Wil Lutz – WINNER: Was 3/3 tonight on kicks. You did your job. Good job!Tight End Lucas Krull – WINNER: You may have been wide open due to a blown coverage, but you caught a touchdown.Tight End Caden Prieskorn – WINNER: I wanted a Caleb Lohner touchdown, but I’ll settle for you. Good job!Linebacker Karene Reid – WINNER: He’s fighting for a roster spot and came away with a nice interception. Probably a practice squad guy, but I’ll take another standout UDFA linebacker.Cornerback Joshua Pickett – WINNER: It may have come on one of the worst quarterback decisions and throws that I have seen in a while, but you made a nice play for an INT.Cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian – Undecided: He gave up the long 50+ yard completion on third down on the opening drive, but followed that up with an INT. I have mixed feelings here, but he deserves a mention.Rookies Que Robinson and Sai’vion Jones – Winner: Robinson blew up a play in the second half, and Jones had a PBU and a fumble recovery. Nice work from both rooks.Safety JL Skinner – WINNER: He came in like a heat-seeking missile and forced a fumble on a 4th down run at the line. He’s on the roster bubble, but plays like that could keep him on the roster.Celine Dion commercial – LOSER: If you were not watching the game on the NFL+ app, you likely do not know what I am talking about, but for those who know, they’ll likely agree. I can still hear that song in my head.