How did Zach Wilson and his fellow quarterbacks look in Denver Broncos’ second preseason game?

The Denver Broncos’ three-quarterback showcase marched on Sunday during the team’s 27-2 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers, and it was widely apparent that a rookie has taken the inside track to the starting job.
Rookie Bo Nix was brilliant, veteran Jarrett Stidham was good with a couple mishaps and Zach Wilson, the 2021 No. 2 overall overall pick, threw a late touchdown to help overshadow a shaky start that included taking a safety.
Nix further tightened his grip on what is still officially an open competition, though through two preseason games and training camp, all signs point toward the former Auburn and Oregon star getting the starting nod.
Nix led two scoring drives — one a touchdown and the other a field goal — to start the game, setting the tone for Denver in its second straight preseason win.
Stidham and Wilson also led touchdown drives, though they didn’t play as cleanly as the first-year player.
Nix completed 8 of 9 passes for 80 yards and one touchdown in his brief time Sunday, and he had another touchdown pass wiped out by a penalty.
He led Denver 34 yards on its first drive — and converted a third-and-1 through the air — as the Broncos scored first on a 37-yard Will Lutz field goal.
Nix initially appeared to scramble and throw a 14-yard touchdown on third down to cap the drive, but after review, Nix was ruled to have crossed the line of scrimmage before passing the pass, making it an illegal pass and the field goal.
Nix’s second drive covered 80 yards in 11 plays, and he capped his second touchdown-scoring drive of the preseason with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Tim Patrick, the former Utah wide receiver who’s missed the past two seasons with two different injuries.
“He’s just cool, calm and collected,” Patrick said of Nix, during a postgame interview on ABC. “… It’s good to have that. He’s just going to keep getting better.”
Stidham took over on Denver’s third drive of the game, minutes into the second quarter, and ended up leading four drives for the Broncos.
He completed 7 of 11 passes for 65 yards and threw an interception just before halftime — the pick came off a tipped pass — and also led the team on its first two drives of the second half.
While three of those drives ended without points, Stidham led his first scoring drive of the preseason in the second quarter, when he scored on a 9-yard touchdown run. Facing a third-and-5, Stidham found a seam up the middle and bullied his way into the end zone for the rushing touchdown.
That was set up by a Green Bay turnover that set the Broncos up with the ball starting at the Packers 14.
Wilson took over for Stidham with just over six minutes left in the third quarter and led five drives for Denver. He ended up completing 2 of 6 passes for 29 yards and a touchdown.
His first one started at the Packers 23 after another Green Bay turnover — a strip sack and fumble recovery by former Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss, now a rookie with the Broncos. It ended with a field goal, though, after three plays netted just three yards.
It got worse for Wilson on Denver’s next drive. After a long run was negated by a penalty, Wilson was sacked for a safety on a 7-yard loss to account for Green Bay’s only points of the night.
Wilson’s best moment of the night came on his fourth drive, another short field set up when Green Bay failed to convert a fourth-and-1 on its own 34.
Wilson completed a 22-yard pass on the second play of the drive, then hit Tyler Badie for a 7-yard touchdown on a running back screen on third down to cap the night’s scoring.