Trevor Siemian was the man in charge in Denver this past week, leading the Broncos to a home-opener victory against the AFC West division-rival Los Angeles Chargers.

It wasn’t a perfect victory, as the Chargers nearly stole the win from the Broncos after storming back for 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter. Siemian acknowledges that the Broncos have a long way to go from being the team they want to be. After finishing the night with 17 completions on 28 attempts for 219 yards and two touchdowns, Siemian was asked during this week’s practice about how his play and how the team could improve. His answer?

“Pretty good, but [there’s] a lot of room for improvement. I think it’s good, though, to think that you can play better and still win. So, that’s the one thing, right? Whatever it takes to win. We’re 1-0, but I’m excited about this week.”

The “whatever it takes attitude” is why Siemian’s come so far from the quarterback whose biggest flaw is somehow perceived as not showing enough “moxie”, or stepping up big when the team needs him. In the spirit of “whatever it takes,” Siemian made multiple plays on Monday night in which he used his feet to pick up chunks of yardage on the ground rather than through the air.

One of those plays, in case you missed it, Siemian scrambled for a touchdown while juking Chargers’ defensive end Joey Bosa out of his cleats.

As with all quarterbacks who scramble, Siemian was susceptible to taking multiple hits from Chargers’ defenders while both scrambling and dropping back in the pocket. Throughout the night, the Chargers sacked Siemian for a total of four times.

It’s these types of hits that caused Siemian to miss two games last season, as well as most of the offseason conditioning with a shoulder injury. Siemian acknowledged that though he needs to be smarter with his play, because in the AFC West, hits on the quarterback are going to happen:

“It’s football; it’s a physical game. I think, as a quarterback, there’s a perception that you don’t want to get hit a lot. But in the division we play in, the edge guys we play [against], I think it’s almost an inevitability. But you’ve got to play smart too; I agree with that.”

This week, the Broncos will host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon. The Cowboys are coming off of a huge win of their own, defeating the division-rival Giants on Sunday night. The Cowboys’ defense held quarterback Eli Manning to only 220 yards on 29 attempts and limited the Giants’ offense to only three points.

In 2016, the Cowboys’ defense finished the season with 36 sacks, which ranked 13th in the NFL. The Cowboys’ pass rush picked up where they left off from last season, sacking Manning three times that night.

And, of course, these are the same Dallas Cowboys who finished 2016 with an NFC-best record 13-3.

As the Broncos’ offensive line continues to develop steady play and chemistry with one another, Siemian will need to be aware of the hits he takes to prevent further injury. Should Siemian miss time, the Broncos would be forced to turn back to backup quarterback Brock Osweiler, who was signed by the team only two weeks ago.

As the Broncos continue their quest to return to the playoffs this season, Siemian has shown growth in his leadership and his style of play. Proven to be the best quarterback on the roster, the Broncos will Siemian to remain healthy and avoid taking unnecessary hits if they wish to return to the playoffs in 2017.