Broncos’ starters sputter in preseason finale, but only concern is if slow starts carry to Week 1

NEW ORLEANS — The engine protested a bit starting up. A spark plug sputtered. The brakes squeaked on the way out of the driveway.

As far as final tune-ups go, the Broncos starters didn’t put together the smoothest outing Saturday in New Orleans on either side of the ball in an eventual 28-19 Denver win.

Vance Joseph’s defense gave up a pair of field goals to New Orleans, bringing their preseason total to a touchdown and two field goals allowed on four total possessions.

Sean Payton’s offense punted, stalled out in field goal range and was going nowhere again on a third drive until a personal foul on New Orleans bailed Bo Nix and company out to jumpstart a touchdown drive.

All of that will be a distant memory if the Broncos put together the kind of regular season they expect to. Time and again, it’s worth reminding that results in the preseason really, really, really don’t matter.

Since this team began offseason workouts back in April, one of head coach Sean Payton’s foremost messages to a group that he believes can contend for a Super Bowl has been that it cannot afford a start as slow as the past two seasons. The Broncos started 0-2 last year and 1-5 in Payton’s first season.

Time will tell on that. Middling preseason production doesn’t provide much data one way or another on whether either unit will struggle or come out humming against Tennessee on Sept. 7 or at Indianapolis on Sept. 14.

What is fair to say is that Payton thinks the Broncos’ run game will be markedly different this year, but it never really got going in the preseason. Nix is expected to take a big leap in Year 2. He never really found a sustained rhythm over two August outings, but did look sharp in joint practices against both San Francisco and Arizona.

Denver’s vaunted defense is expected to hit the ground running with decorated and experienced players at all three levels, but it hasn’t been a particularly impressive exhibition slate.

There are many perfectly justifiable reasons not to put much stock in preseason results.

It’s a time for experimentation, as All-Pro defensive tackle Zach Allen is fond of saying.

It’s a time to work through combinations and contingency plans.

It’s not a time for much game planning or showing more cards than you want to.

All that is now in the rearview mirror. The Titans — and games that count — are on deck.

Week 1 for Greenlaw. One of the Broncos’ prized free agent additions will play his first live reps in Week 1. Inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw didn’t get any preseason work after being held out of Saturday’s finale.

Greenlaw injured his quad this spring and missed the offseason program. Then he had scar tissue cause pain, Payton said earlier in camp, and hasn’t taken part in live work in any of the three preseason games or two joint practices.

“He had a great week of work last week and we feel like he’ll be ready to go (Week 1),” Payton said Saturday.