With a 19-yard touchdown pass in the final minute of the first half of the Denver Broncos’ second preseason game, the Denver media unofficially crowned Trevor Siemian the Broncos’ starter for 2017.

While Head Coach Vance Joseph said this week that the media’s opinion matters not in the decision, it was hard to ignore the resounding call to name Siemian the starter come Monday.

In a game that Paxton Lynch started and was handed three turnovers to put up points, it was a single series by Siemian that did the convincing.

Siemian, too, took over after a turnover and drove the Broncos 53 yards for a touchdown that put them up 20-0 at the half.

Although Lynch managed to score points on three of his five drives, it was the way he earned those points – a touchdown and two field goal – that seemed to give Siemian the edge.

C.J. Anderson punched in a touchdown on his third try from the goal line to give Denver it’s first score of the game. Denver took over at the San Francisco 11-yard line after a muffed punt. A pass-interference penalty gave Lynch and the Broncos a first-and-goal at the goal line. In the drive that produced the muffed punt, Lynch was 3-for-5, with his longest pass going for seven yards to Anderson.

Lynch and the Broncos went three-and-out on their next drive before again being handed excellent field position thanks to a turnover.

Denver took over at their 47 after a Brian Hoyer fumble. The offense moved 26 yards, including a nice 10-yard scramble by Lynch to earn a first down. A holding penalty on Garett Bolles pushed Denver back out of field goal range, but a pair of short dump offs got them back to the San Francisco 27 where Brandon McManus hit a 45-yard field goal.

McManus connected again from 51 yards on Denver’s next possession. Lynch connected with Bennie Fowler for 10 yards after another Bolles holding penalty opened the drive. He converted a first down with a 12-yard scramble, but took a crucial sack on third-and-three to end the drive, failing to pick up a safety blitz.

Lynch finished his night 9-of-13 passing for 39 yards – just a 3-yard average. He ran for 27 yards on nine carries.

Siemian took over after a Chris Lewis-Harris interception and hit Jordan Taylor on the drive’s seventh play, all but sealing the deal in the eyes of many in the Denver media. It was Siemian’s ability to stay calm under pressure and make a well-placed throw that had them gushing.

Here’s a sampling of the commentary on Twitter after Siemian’s touchdown pass.

https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/899110169875021824

https://twitter.com/TJCarpenterShow/status/899110107723685889

https://twitter.com/Raj_Sharan/status/899110008025006080