Heading into the final game of the preseason, the Denver Broncos have won one game, as well as lost one. The Broncos are coming off a rather ugly loss in which there weren't many positive takeaways. Nathaniel Hackett and company will attempt to put that loss behind them and move forward. They look to end the preseason on a winning note, as the Broncos will face the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday.

Let's discuss some preseason predictions for the Broncos' final bout of the preseason.

Broncos Preseason Week 3 Predictions

Jalen Virgil will prove he deserves the final wide receiver spot

A few weeks ago the Broncos got devastating news regarding Tim Patrick and how he is out for the entire season due to an ACL tear. As awful as that is, the Broncos are thankfully not worried about their depth at the wide receiver position. If anything, they're actually pretty stacked at wide receiver, and there will be some difficult decisions that need to be made when the time comes to cut the roster to 53 men.

One of the pleasant training camp surprises has been Jalen Virgil, a rookie wide receiver out of Appalachian State. Virgil has also shown off in his preseason game appearances. In fact, Virgil was ranked by PFF as a top 5 rookie wide receiver in week two of the preseason.

Virgil brings more speed to the Broncos' wide receiver core which also includes speedsters KJ Hamler and Montrell Washington. Look for him to make some big plays against the Vikings to prove he deserves a spot on the roster.

There are three wide receiver locks to make the final roster, that being Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler. The Broncos will have to make the decision on the total wide receivers they want to carry throughout the season. Best case scenario, they will keep seven wide receivers, allowing Kendall Hinton, Montrell Washington, Brandon Johnson, and Jalen Virgil to take the final four spots.

Sam Martin will be punting for his life (well, his job with the Broncos.)

During the offseason, the Broncos signed punter Corliss Waitman. Waitman went undrafted out of South Alabama in 2020, and has spent time on multiple practice squads. He got his only regular season experience and stats with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021, when he punted for two games. In that span, his longest punt went 63 yards, and he averaged 52.1 yards per punt.

Martin did not play in the Broncos' preseason week two game, as he suffered an ankle injury during warmups. Waitman filled in for Martin, and did what he had to do. There weren't any remarkable punts that really showed he is the better punter. However, that doesn't mean the Broncos aren't still considering keeping Waitman. In fact, the Broncos have gone with the cheaper option at punter in the past (like choosing Riley Dixon over Britton Colquitt.)

Martin will be punting in the Mile High air on Saturday and will need to fire off some huge punts to prove to the Broncos he deserves to stay on the team.

Brett Rypien will perform well, making the QB 2 decision even harder for the coaches.

The competition to be Russell Wilson's backup in the regular season is still very much undecided. Josh Johnson has started in the first two preseason games, and Rypien will get the start in the final preseason game.

Against the Bills, Johnson didn't really do much. In fact, the offense stuttered and stalled quite a lot. Johnson ended his outing going 8 of 16 for 70 yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. Rypien would enter the game, and despite the Broncos being down a sizeable amount and the defense not even able to stop a nosebleed, he would provide a tiny spark. Rypien would go 22 for 26 and 191 yards and had one touchdown with no interceptions.

Rypien finally gets his chance to start, and will most likely perform well. Well enough to prove he deserves the QB 2 spot? We will see.

The run game will continue to be lackluster

It's hard to determine why exactly the Broncos have had little to no impact with their preseason run game. Poor blocking along the offensive line? Running backs with a bad vision for lanes? A combination of both?

In the regular season, Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon will do fine, so it's important to not worry too much about the preseason run game where they have yet to play. The Broncos will continue to use their backup running backs in Mike Boone, JaQuan Hardy, and newly acquired Devine Ozigbo. In fact, the running backs may look better as receivers rather than ball carriers on Saturday. Regardless, don't expect the run game to suddenly be explosive in the final preseason game.