The Broncos beat the Cardinals 38-12 in a preseason game at Empower Field on Sunday. Rating of Denver’s win:

ATTACK

Grade: B-

Jarrett Stidham led a touchdown drive on his only series. Zach Wilson completed 64 percent of his passes and led three touchdown drives. Most importantly, neither quarterback caused a turnover. The Broncos are particularly deep at wide receivers and running backs, but until the regular season begins, the quality of that depth is unknown. The preseason has inspired confidence that they will improve.

DEFENSE

Grade: A-

Take a bow, Broncos defense. You were the star of the preseason. You held Arizona to one touchdown (failed 2-point conversion) and two field goals. Defensive end Jordan Jackson had two sacks. Linebacker Justin Strnad forced a fumble that was recovered by opportunistic safety Keidron Smith. Then linebacker Lavelle Bailey returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown. Impressive all around.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Grade: C+

There is not much difference between Riley Dixon and Trenton Gill in the punting contest. Dixon had punts of 41 and 50 yards. Gill smashed a ball 73 yards into the end zone. Will Lutz converted a 30-yard field goal attempt and converted all five of his extra point opportunities. There is still a lot to learn about the kicking game as teams implement real strategies for new rules.

Coaching

Class: A

Are preseason results meaningless? Not if you ask coach Sean Payton. He stressed the importance of winning exhibition games, and the Broncos won 3-0, so mission accomplished. That should be a small confidence boost for a young team still learning how to win consistently. But the NFL regular season is a whole different caliber. It’s still unclear what the Broncos’ chances of success will be in 2024.