DENVER (AP) — Troy Franklin caught two touchdown passes from Jarrett Stidham and the Denver Broncos rolled over the Arizona Cardinals 27-7 on Saturday night in a matchup of mostly backups.
With both teams sitting the majority of their starters following a productive and spirited joint practice on Thursday, Stidham followed up a spectacular preseason debut in relief of Bo Nix at San Francisco with another stellar performance.
He completed 16 of 23 passes for 240 yards and TDs of 27 and 17 yards to Franklin before giving way to Sam Ehlinger in the second half. Ehlinger completed 14 of 16 passes for 162 yards.
“Got outplayed tonight,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “That was obvious by the score.”
Which could have been worse were it not for cornerback Elijah Jones punching the ball out of tight end Caden Prieskorn’s arms at the 1 and linebacker Vi Jones smothering it in the end zone for a touchback.
Denver's top-to-bottom defense had another solid outing, too. The Cardinals (1-1) converted just 2 of 13 third downs a week after the Broncos held San Francisco to 1 of 12.
That's another indication the Broncos have progressed to the point there will be some difficult decisions on cut-down day.
“I'd rather be in that position than the position we were in two years ago at this time,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said, adding, "I think there are going to be some players that end up on other teams, playing. And that's part of the deal.”
Stidham's first drive covered 97 yards in just four plays. It featured a 58-yard catch and run by tight end Evan Engram and ended with an 8-yard touchdown run by rookie running back R.J. Harvey, a second-round selection by Denver (2-0).
After Jacoby Brissett (6 for 8 for 57 yards) replied with a 16-yard TD toss to Simi Fehoko, Stidham hit Franklin for a 27-yard touchdown down the left sideline. His 17-yard strike to Franklin with 45 seconds left before halftime made it 24-7.
Franklin's stellar summer has continued in the preseason, cementing his role as one of Denver's top-flight receivers.
“I think I'm just more comfortable, got a little bit more freedom to just go out there and play,” Franklin said. “And also just knowing the offense as a whole.”
Stidham's third drive reached the Arizona 2 but he airmailed a throw on third down and right tackle Alex Palczewski's second flag, this one for a false start, moved the ball back to the 6 and Wil Lutz nailed a 26-yarder to make it 17-7.
Franklin's 7-yard sideline catch with 2 seconds left allowed Lutz to attempt a 64-yard field goal as the first half expired, but he missed short and to the right.
Clayton Tune relieved Brissett and was 13 of 20 for 56 yards.
First Call
Payton turned over play-calling duties to QBs coach Davis Webb and was impressed by how he handled the task.
“I think it's a good opportunity for these coaches,” said Payton, who gave Webb a game ball.
Injuries
Broncos G Nick Gargiulo was carted off with a right knee injury at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter. The entire Broncos bench went out to midfield in a show of support. The Cardinals lost OL Hayden Carter to a knee injury on the first drive of the game. Broncos LB Garret Wallow (ankle) went out in the fourth quarter.
Remembrances
The Broncos honored pass-catching great and coaching pioneer Lionel Taylor, who died earlier this month at age 89, and also former AP sports writer Dennis Georgatos, who died in June at age 70.
Up next
Cardinals: Host the Las Vegas Raiders next Saturday.
Broncos: Visit New Orleans next Saturday.
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