ATLANTA (AP) — Jarrett Stidham threw a touchdown pass in his bid to keep his hold on Denver’s backup job and Jahdae Barron returned an interception 97 yards for a touchdown as the Broncos overwhelmed the Atlanta Falcons 27-7 on Friday night in the preseason opener for both teams.Stidham completed 9 of 15 passes for 131 yards, including a 5-yard scoring pass to Jaleel McLaughlin, while playing the first half.Denver coach Sean Payton announced Wednesday starting quarterback Bo Nix would not play against Atlanta. Nix is expected to make his preseason debut next week at home against Green Bay. Sam Ehlinger played the second half, completing 10 of 14 passes for 67 yards, after Stidham led the Broncos to a 24-0 halftime lead.Falcons quarterback Tua Tagovailoa completed 3 of 5 passes for 22 yards while playing two series. Tagovailoa’s expected competition for the starting job has been on hold with Michael Penix Jr. still not cleared for team drills as he continues his recovery from surgery on his left knee.
Cooper Rush, who played behind Tagovailoa, threw two interceptions, including Barron’s pick returned for a touchdown. A deflection by linebacker Karene Reid on Rush’s pass for Chris Blair set up the interception.Two prominent Atlanta starters, running back Bijan Robinson and wide receiver Drake London, were in uniform but did not play. The Falcons were held to 192 yards in the debut for coach Kevin Stefanski.
