Lammey: 5 biggest takeaways from Broncos vs. 49ers

The Denver Broncos fell to the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 31-24 on Saturday night. The two teams held joint practices for two days out at UCHealth Training Center, and the Broncos easily dominated on both occasions.

Things were different come game time, and the Broncos made too many mistakes to come away victorious.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was somewhat dejected after the team’s lackluster performance.

“We made too many mistakes, obviously. (Trevor Siemian and Mark Sanchez) both did some good things. I think they were both 10-of-14. That’s throwing the ball for a good percentage, but you have to protect the football,” Kubiak said. “Obviously we have to hang on to the good things and find a way to protect the ball for the team. That’s what we need to focus on right now more than anything.”

Here are the five biggest takeaways from the game against the 49ers:

5. Quarterback Trevor Siemian struggles

With quarterback Trevor Siemian starting against the 49ers, there was a real opportunity for him to stake his claim to the top of the depth chart. After throwing an interception returned for a touchdown in the second quarter, it’s needless to say that Siemian did not win the starting job.

The young quarterback was clearly upset with himself after the game.

“I can’t turn the ball over. I just made a bad decision — the guy played flat, and I want that one back. There are some positives to take away, just can’t turn the ball over,” Siemian said.

Siemian didn’t have a great game, but he had a better game than Mark Sanchez. The Broncos gave Siemian one more drive after his interception, but the team went five plays for only 15 yards before punting the ball back.

Sanchez came in after that and lost two fumbles that were recovered by the 49ers. Those two turnovers didn’t lead to any points for the 49ers, but it cost the Broncos from getting at least six points as both fumbles happened deep inside San Francisco territory.

It was revealed on Monday that Siemian is going to start the team’s third preseason game Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams. We’ll see if he can play with more confidence this week, but first we have to see how he can practice. Siemian has a sore shoulder after trying to make a tackle on his interception.

4. Tight end Virgil Green is everywhere

The Kubiak offense features the tight end position frequently. Entering training camp, the starter at the position was unknown. Virgil Green was the front-runner at the start of camp, but he was going to be pushed by second-year tight end Jeff Heuerman. During camp, Heuerman barely made it into my practice notebook while Green was a featured star almost every day.

The veteran tight end had a good game against the Chicago Bears in the Broncos first preseason game, and he followed that up with another strong game against the 49ers last Saturday. Green led the team with four catches for 57 yards on four targets.

Green was feeling good after the game on Saturday night.

“I do feel good. But for me, I do have high expectations,” Green said. “I definitely know what other guys have done in the league and what I would like to do. I’ve just got to get better and keep consistently doing things, catching the ball, running good routes and doing well in the run game. I think things will go well for me.”

The talent has been there for a long time, but Green has been waiting patiently for his opportunity. It looks like Green will get the chance to prove he’s a great receiver, and in this offense it wouldn’t surprise me to see him catch 50 passes in 2016.

3. Linebacker Zaire Anderson looks fantastic

Every year, the Broncos have a knack for finding talent from the college free agent pool after the draft. Two years ago, the Broncos took a chance on undrafted linebacker Zaire Anderson. After spending a year on the practice squad, it looks like Anderson is ready to make the 53-man roster.

Against the 49ers, Anderson seemed to be everywhere. He finished the game with only two tackles — both solo — but played good in coverage and sound in his gap protection.

Anderson knows how critical it is for a young player to shine in the preseason.

“It’s very important to me just because I want to show the organization and people upstairs that I can play and I can be a guy to count on each year,” Anderson said.

There’s little chance the Broncos can sneak Anderson through to the practice squad now. He’s not a huge player, but Anderson arrives at the play with nasty intentions. Anderson has the ability to play from sideline to sideline, and this helps him cover targets over the middle of the field.

He has stood out as a tackler and coverage player during the preseason, and keeping Anderson on the roster would give the team incredible depth at the position.

2. Offensive line depth is being tested

Early in the game against the 49ers, offensive lineman Darrion Weems went down with a concussion. He is now in the concussion protocol, and it may be some time before we see him on the field again. Weems was having a great training camp, and he was putting himself in position to be the starting right guard for a Super Bowl-contending team.

After Weems was out of the game, the offensive line showed a lack of depth. They are already missing guard Ty Sambrailo (elbow), and the loss of Weems proved to be too much for the reserves to handle.

Starting running back C.J. Anderson doesn’t feel mixing up the offensive line impacts his position during the game.

“You don’t see it when it’s happening, and then when you come back and talk about it on the sideline. … We should be in synch and on the same page. We will get better at it. I like where we are at now compared to where we were last year for sure.”

Kubiak said at his press conference on Monday that things were getting close with Sambrailo. The coach also revealed that Sambrailo would be ready to play a lot when he returns to the field. That means Sambrailo might just step right back into the starting lineup at right guard.

With Weems and Sambrailo healthy, the Broncos have a good group of starters and a good group of backups. Without those two, the depth and talent dries up quickly.

1. C.J. Anderson’s ready to carry the load

A bright spot from the game was the performance of starting running back C.J. Anderson. The Broncos are more pass-happy on offense now than they’ll be in the preseason because they want to take a long look at the quarterbacks. Anderson has not been able to get into much of a groove as a runner, but against the 49ers he made the most of his opportunity.

Anderson finished the game with six carries for 30 yards and one rushing TD. On the team’s first drive, Anderson finished off the series with a 19-yard scamper to the end zone.

Leading up to his touchdown run, Anderson felt good things from the offense.

“I just think we handled everything well. Trevor (Siemian) came out throwing the ball, and we got in a rhythm early,” Anderson said. “Then I got some carries and got a chance to feel the game and get into a rhythm. When we got into the red zone, we had to punch it in. I got an opportunity to make the most of it.”

The team has to find a starting quarterback, but there is no question which player is going to lead the way on the ground. Anderson is in the best shape of his pro career, and he performed better than ever during training camp. He is in an offense that will feature him as much as possible, and the veteran back is ready to prove himself.

Follow @CecilLammey