Broncos fans impressed with Zach Wilson as QB shines vs Colts in preseason: "Looked like a pro," "Let’s cut Stidham"

When the Denver Broncos traded for Zach Wilson during the offseason, expectations were low. After all, the second overall pick of 2021 was so awful with the New York Jets that he was initially benched for Aaron Rodgers. However, he was elevated again after an injury to Rodgers in the very first game of the season.

It certainly did not help when Jarrett Stidham and rookie Bo Nix came on board, potentially demoting him to third-string. But on Sunday at the Indianapolis Colts, Wilson proved surprisingly good, completing 10 of 13 passes for 117 yards and no touchdowns but also no interceptions.

Suddenly, opinions of him changed:

More of the shift in rhetoric can be seen below:

"Really shows you how much Hackett sucks," one said.

"He will light it up this year," another predicted.

"Believers, we must never surrender," another's battle cry went.

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Other top performers in Colts-Broncos game as Zach Wilson surprises with decent performance

The Broncos were buoyed by their ground game, as Audric Estime, Blake Watson and Tyler Badie rushed for a touchdown each. Meanwhile, one-time Pro Bowler Marvin Mims Jr. caught the team's only scoring pass from Bo Nix, while Wil Lutz made two field goals in the second quarter.

On defense, Jonah Eliss and Dondrea Tillman had a sack each, while Keidron Smith intercepted Sam Ehlinger once.

The Colts, meanwhile, had Evan Hull and Tyler Goodson rushing for a touchdown each, while Laquon Treadwell caught a touchdown pass from Jason Bean.

Defensively, Micah Abraham also scored a touchdown off a fumble recovery, while Kenny Moore II intercepted Jarrett Stidham once. However, the defense also failed to get a sack.

The special teams also somewhat struggled. Kicker Matt Gay missing one of his two field goal attempts and punter Rigoberto Sanchez failed to breach the 20-yard zone (his counterpart Riley Dixon did so twice).

After the game, Nix said:

“I thought we executed well. The guys were in the right spots, and we moved the ball efficiently a large part of the day, and that usually turns into points, and so when you can get points in a game like that, that’s kind of going back and forth, it’s always good.”

The Broncos next host the Green Bay Packers on August 18. The Colts, meanwhile, host the Arizona Cardinals the day before.