Head coach Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos could see players from their opponent in their preseason finale, the Minnesota Vikings, docked over several infractions committed during the contest.
Denver was fortunate to avoid the kinds of infractions that could draw fines. They were also the less-penalized team in the 34-6 victory over their rivals from the NFC North.
The lack of penalties was an encouraging sign for the Broncos, but with a key caveat.
Broncos Avoid Fineable Offenses (For Now)
Officials called 10 penalties in the game; Payton’s Broncos were called for three of those. Moreover, no Broncos committed any of the three penalties that could draw fines from the league, including one involving rookie tight end Dallen Bentley.
A rookie seventh-round pick, Bentley was on the receiving end of an “illegal use of the hands, hands to the face” call against Vikings linebacker Josh Ross.
Ross got Bentley up near the head/neck area on a pass play during the third quarter.
That was actually Ross’ second infraction. During the second quarter, he was called for “unneccessary roughness” after a “late hit” on Broncos punt returner Sean Fresch after Vikings teammate Bangally Kamara had already made the tackle.
Those fines range from $11,941 on first offenses to $17,911 on second offenses, per the NFL. The hands-to-the-face penalty is not a fineable offense on its own.
However, it could be upgraded to a face mask call, which carries the same fine.
Vikings running back Jermar Jefferson also committed a fineable offense, called for a face mask on Broncos returner Kolbe Katsis. However, an illegal block above the waist (block in the back) by Broncos running back Jaleel McLaughlin led to the penalties offsetting.
McLaughlin’s penalty is not a fineable offense, but there is a fine line between that and a blindside block, which carries fines ranging from $17,911 (first) to $23,882 (second).
McLaughlin (and his Broncos teammates, for that matter) may not be out of the woods yet.
The NFL’s review process frequently identifies and acts on infractions that were not called during the game in which they occurred. That is, up to and including assessing fines in the wake of new findings.
Sean Payton Gets Potentially Encouraging Sign From Broncos
The Broncos’ three penalties against were their fewest of the 2026 preseason. That is five fewer than Payton’s crew had managed coming into the contest. That is a promising sign as the 2026 regular season approaches.
The Broncos finished with the fourth-most penalties in 2025, per Football Database.
They already boast one of the NFL’s best defenses. Their offense also has one of the best protectors of the football in Bo Nix at quarterback.
But penalties undercut their efforts last season, and they would benefit from operating more efficiently moving forward. Unfortunately, the Broncos’ efforts against the Vikings in the preseason finale were a bit of fool’s gold.
Virtually none of the Broncos’ starters or key contributors played.
It is impossible to say if the Broncos can carry Friday’s effort into the regular season. They –who doubled up the Green Bay Packers 10-5 in penalties in Preseason Week 2.
Multiple Players Could Face Discipline After Broncos Defeat Vikings