Sunday was supposed to be Paxton Lynch‘s big day. Instead, the Denver Broncos’ 2016 first-round draft pick had a day he’d like to forget.
Meanwhile, Trevor Siemian — Denver’s starter-turned-backup-turned-inactive-turned-backup — had a day that made Broncos fans long for Week 2 of the 2017 season.
In the two-plus quarters that Lynch played on Sunday, the Broncos’ offense looked as bad as it has all season. Lynch wound up leaving the game with what was announced as an ankle injury with 4:58 left in the third quarter, and his numbers didn’t look good. He finished 9-for-14 for 41 yards and one interception.
If his tears on the bench were any indication of the severity of his ankle injury, that might be the stat line Lynch finishes the season with.
Enter Siemian. Remember him? The guy who won the quarterback competition out of training camp, was named a captain, and was behind center for the the three games the Broncos managed to win this year? He made the 21-14 loss a game.
After leading Denver to a 3-1 start to the season, including a 42-17 dismantling of the Cowboys in Week 2, Siemian looked broken a month ago. In the Broncos’ Week 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, he threw three interceptions that never should’ve come out of his hand. Brock Osweiler started the next three games as a result, but the results weren’t any different. Osweiler played okay, but okay isn’t getting it done in 2017.
Siemian, who spent last Sunday in street clothes, looked pretty darn good in relief on Sunday. He finished the game 11-for-21 for 129 yards and two touchdowns. For someone that’s been through the ringer in 2017, Siemian’s guts were on display on Sunday.
John Elway might consider the Broncos to be a “little bit soft,” but when presented with another opportunity, Siemian came out swinging and the Broncos actually found themselves within one touchdown as a result.
At 3-8 and losers of seven straight, the Broncos are playing for pride. As Siemian showed on Sunday, he’s still got some fight in him. It’s safe to say that Siemian isn’t the answer at quarterback, but he’s not a quitter, even after all he’s been through over the course of the season.