The Sports Xchange

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t want to leave the game when he did. Neither did the other first-team Denver Broncos on offense. They exited midway through the second quarter with no points and four punts to show after four possessions against the Houston Texans in Saturday’s 14-10 preseason win.

“I think when we got comfortable — we all got comfortable — we started getting going, and they pulled the plug,” running back C.J. Anderson said. “Nothing you can do there. Peyton said he felt good and he wished he could have stayed out there longer. But we’ll get a lot more reps next week — we’ll get all the reps we want.”

And with those repetitions, the Broncos hope to avoid the pitfalls that doomed their drives in Houston: two penalties and two dropped passes, both of which came on third downs and cost the Broncos the chance to keep drives alive.

“Sure you’d like to score four touchdowns in four possessions, but we did some no-huddle, which is something that we’ve been working on in this offense throughout training camp,” said Manning. “I thought we executed that pretty well as far as communication.”

And perhaps most important, Manning left with an unruffled uniform. He wasn’t touched by the Texans, who rested J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork. But any time the reshuffled offensive line keeps Manning clean with three starters who haven’t played a regular-season game, the Broncos have to be pleased.

That same offensive line also helped blast open holes for Anderson, Montee Ball and Ronnie Hillman. They combined for 101 rushing yards and 6.3 yards per carry in the first half before the backups took over line work.

“I thought they did a good job,” Manning said. “I thought those guys were poised out there. I thought the protection was good the whole time that I was in there.

“I felt like our guys handled all the communication and played at a pretty good tempo and I thought there were some good things in there.”

Some good things, yes, but some that were in need of refinement.

“That’s how it is (in the preseason),” Anderson said. “And we worked on the ball, which is something we did last year, something that (head coach Gary) Kubiak and (the new staff) haven’t seen from us.”

The scheme is tweaked, but elements of the Broncos’ offense Saturday looked familiar compared with recent years: a game-opening bubble screen, shotgun formations and an emphasis on three- and four-wide receiver sets.

“We played fast, and I think we’re on the same page,” Anderson said. “We’re on a roll with it, too. That was the good thing about it.”

Now the offense needs to show improvement against the 49ers, who arrive for joint practices beginning Wednesday, leading into Saturday’s third preseason game in which the starters are expected to play into the third quarter.

–There may only be room for two quarterbacks on the Broncos’ 53-man roster, but the more Trevor Siemian plays, the more difficult he makes the choice.

The seventh-round pick galvanized the struggling offense in the fourth quarter, leading the Broncos on a 92-yard drive in the final moments to a 26-yard touchdown pass to Corbin Louks.

“He spins the ball really well, we knew that coming out,” Kubiak said. “It was just a question if the other pieces could maybe fall into place. He’s very calm, so we’ll see, but he’s making a lot of progress.”

Siemian’s performance through two games — 12-of-16 passing for 179 yards, a touchdown and a 132.0 rating — raises an obvious question: Can the Broncos slip him through waivers to the practice squad?

“Not supposed to talk about stuff like that,” Kubiak said with a smile. “We got to find out what he is. There’s no hiding anybody. We’re going to let him play and the question of him coming out there wasn’t much action; he kind of split time with another quarterback.”

That quarterback was Zac Dysert, the Broncos’ seventh-round pick in 2013. He didn’t play a snap Saturday and has been passed by Siemian.

Notes: Inside linebacker Brandon Marshall made his first start of 2015 and finished with two passes defensed. Marshall had surgery in April for a Lisfranc injury incurred in December and did not start running until late June. He was eased back into full work during training camp. … Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders could return this week, but the Broncos are using extreme caution with the Pro Bowler after a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury suffered during warmups at Seattle on Aug. 14. … Punter Britton Colquitt is facing a challenge from recent waiver claim Spencer Lanning. Colquitt responded with a net average of 41.4 yards on five punts, dropping two inside the 20-yard line. Lanning had a net average of 40.0 yards on two punts. … Outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware played into the second quarter in his 2015 preseason debut. Ware played 19 snaps and finished with an assist.