There were two burning questions ahead of the Broncos’ preseason finale on Sunday. One has been answered.

After Denver wrapped up a 3-0 preseason with a resounding 38-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High, head coach Sean Payton said all three of his quarterbacks will make the team. They are rookie starter Bo Nix and reserves Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson.

“We feel comfortable with those three quarterbacks. … I can see all three of them succeeding,” Payton said.

The question now is: who will replace Nix?

Stidham started Sunday and was on just 10 plays in one series, going 2 of 4 for 28 yards and leading the Broncos to a 3-yard touchdown run by Audric Estime. Wilson played the rest of the way, completing 16 of 25 passes for 251 yards with two touchdowns.

Payton has until the season opener on September 8 in Seattle to determine who will replace Nix

“All of these guys are going to be talked about,” Payton said. “But those guys both look good.”

Stidham said he knew going in that he would only get one series if he led the Broncos to points on his first drive, and said he was “really proud” of his teammates. What he wasn’t happy about after the game was that Nix was named the starter on Wednesday.

“Obviously I was very disappointed,” Stidham said in his first comments since Payton’s announcement. “I know I’m a starting quarterback in this league. I have no doubts about that and it just didn’t go my way. I know what kind of player I am, what kind of person I am.”

Now Stidham will have to hold off Wilson to be the backup. Payton liked what he saw from Wilson, including the 46-yard touchdown pass he threw to Brandon Johnson midway through the fourth quarter for a 31-12 lead.

“He threw some impressive throws,” Payton said. “The shot in the hole to Brandon. He’s got a live arm in the field. I thought he threw it away when he wasn’t there. There were (four) sacks, but overall we moved the ball.”

Wilson also threw a 1-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter to tight end Nate Adkins, who was playing fullback. He had runs of 21 yards and a 1-yard sneak for a touchdown late in the third quarter after throwing a 37-yard pass to Johnson at the 1.

“I can’t think of too many games in my career where I felt like we got into a rhythm,” said Wilson, who struggled in three previous seasons with the New York Jets after earning the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft. “Even if you go three-and-out or get stopped here and there, it’s like, ‘We’re going to put something together on the next drive.’ It feels good to feel that as an offense.”

While Payton said there will be three quarterbacks on the team, Wilson stressed that he’s not taking anything for granted.

“Exciting, but the day of the cuts is not until Tuesday, so we will see what happens,” he said.

The Broncos must pare their 91-man roster down to 53 by 2 p.m. Tuesday, so Sunday’s game offered a final chance to audition for a spot.

The only likely starter to play for Denver was inside linebacker Cody Barton, who likely passed on Jonas Griffith for the job. Payton had said Friday that he might play starting safety Brandon Jones, who missed the first two preseason games with a hamstring injury. He dressed, but Payton said the plan for the game was not to use him.

On the second play of the game, cornerback Damarri Mathis injured his ankle and was carried off the field on a cart, but Payton said his injury is not serious.

“The images were really positive, so I don’t think it’s anything significant,” he said. “That’s good news.”

Mathis is in the mix to start at right cornerback. But Riley Moss, who did not play Sunday, could have the upper hand there. The Broncos got back Levi Wallace, who started after missing the first two preseason games with a hamstring injury, and he could still be in the mix to start.

The Broncos completed their sixth undefeated preseason in history, their fifth since 2000 and their first since also going 3-0 in 2021. Payton said he “loved the energy” on Sunday and throughout the preseason.

“I told them afterward, ‘Never get tired of what it feels like to win,'” Payton said. “I would say I’m encouraged not only by the rookie class relative to the draft picks, but also by some of the new players that came in through free agency. Overall, the makeup and chemistry of this team is completely different than it was a year ago.”

The biggest play by a rookie was made by undrafted linebacker Levelle Bailey, who returned an interception 94 yards for a touchdown with 3:57 left to close the scoring. It sparked a wild celebration by players in the end zone.

“I felt great, man,” Bailey said. “It was definitely an overwhelming feeling, knowing that I made the pick and just really happy that my teammates showed that they cared about me and were proud of me by meeting me in the end zone after the touchdown. I couldn’t hold my breath. I couldn’t celebrate with them.”

Another undrafted rookie, Blake Watson, led the Broncos in rushing with 11 carries for 38 yards.

Other notable performances came from defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, who had two sacks, and linebacker Justin Strnad, who had six tackles, including a sack and one that forced a fumble. The fumble was recovered by defensive back Keidron Smith, who had interceptions in the previous two preseason games.

In the battle for the punting lane, Riley Dixon had two boots in the first half and averaged 45.5 yards gross and 37.5 yards net. And Trenton Gill had two in the second half and averaged 61.0 yards net and 48.5 yards gross. That included a 73-yard boot that went into the end zone.

Most eyes, however, were on the quarterbacks, and that will continue to be the case as Payton picks his backup.