Mile High Sports

Young Broncos impressed in the season finale against Oakland

Casey Light

On Friday, John Pennock penned a column “Six young Broncos with something to prove in the season finale,” which catalogued the players he felt needed to show some signs of growth in the final game of the season.

With an offense that struggled most of the season, it’s understandable that five of Pennock’s six players were on that side of the ball. If Denver is going to turn a 9-7 season in which they missed the playoffs into a 10-win or better season next year, they’re going to have to improve on that side of the ball.

At the top of Pennock’s (and most everyone’s) list of players to evaluate was rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch.

Gary Kubiak threw everyone a bit of a curveball when news broke early Sunday morning that this game would be his last. Rather than sticking to his plan to split snaps 50/50 between Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch (as he said Friday he’d be doing), Kubiak rode Siemian’s relatively hot hand for all four quarters to help ensure a 24-6 victory in his final game as head coach.

Postgame, Kubiak took full responsibility for not playing Lynch, saying, “I planned on playing them both. We got into the game, and I thought Trevor [Siemain] played really well today. I told him at halftime, ‘Trevor, you’re going to keep going.’ I told him to keep going and finish the game. That’s on me. Paxton has a bright future. It’s going to be a hell of a battle between those two kids next year. That decision is on me. It’s strictly on me.”

So, many people in Broncos Country left the game only partly satisfied. Yes, the Broncos got the win in Kubiak’s last game and ensured a winning record for the season. But they also didn’t get to see Siemian and Lynch compared side-by-side in a live fire environment. Instead, Kubiak gave Siemian a four-quarter audition to show GM John Elway and the Broncos front office that he should be the front-runner heading into the 2017 season.

Siemian wasn’t one of the six Pennock identified, but he did impress. As did some other young Broncos – some who were on Pennock’s list and some who were not. Here’s a quick look at who made a case for themselves in 2017 with the final game of the 2016 season.

Pennock’s Six

QB Paxton Lynch

At one point in the fourth quarter Paxton Lynch had his coat off and was warming up, but Denver’s first-round draft pick from 2016 didn’t sniff the field as promised in the finale. Postgame, Kubiak had this to say about Lynch:

“I’m proud of Paxton. He’s prepared hard. He’s worked hard. I’ve had some good moments with him last night, just talking to him about the future and talking to the team about the future of both quarterbacks. He’s going to be fine. It’s going to be interesting to watch him come back. I know he’s chomping at the bit to get in there and compete.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement.

OL Connor McGovern

Second to Lynch, the absence of Connor McGovern was the biggest head-scratcher of the day. Not only did McGovern not see playing time, he wasn’t even listed among the active players. That made it a full 16-for-16 games that the 2016 fifth-round pick was inactive on game day. Given how poor the offensive line performed over the season, outside observers like Pennock wanted to see what the physical specimen (check him out on YouTube) had to offer in a game enviroment.

The fact that McGovern was made inactive really makes you wonder why they didn’t just stash him on the practice squad for the season and use that roster spot for a more experienced free agent that might have contributed, or to bolster other positions of weakness.

TE Jeff Heuerman 

Since he was drafted in the third round last year, the Broncos have had to play the waiting game with Jeff Heuerman. Injuries have limited his playing time, as has a stagnant offense. But Heuerman saw significant action against Oakland and actually made some plays that offered hope for the future.

Heuerman played 67 percent of the offensive snaps Sunday, significantly up from his season average of 21.71. He caught just two of his targets for 21 total yards, including a 19-yard play to open the game. Most importantly, though, he proved he can be effective in the run and screen game. Heuerman provided some key blocks to spring Devontae Booker and Justin Forsett in Denver’s first 100-yard rushing effort since Week 13.

WR Cody Latimer

It’s been a rocky ride for Latimer over his first three seasons, especially considering his second-round draft status, as he’s mostly been relegated to special teams duty. But he did show some positive signs on Sunday that he’s maturing into a legitimate third option. When Emmanuel Sanders went out with a foot injury on Sunday, Latimer shared time in the No. 2 wideout spot and made a few key plays in that role. The most important wasn’t even a catch.

On Denver’s first offensive possession of the second half, the Broncos were in the red zone with the chance to go up 24-0. Trevor Siemian was pressured on third-and-four and missed Latimer in the end zone, but Latimer was able to draw a pass interference penalty that gave Denver a first-and-goal from the one. Two plays later Siemian found Virgil Green for a touchdown that demoralized Oakland coming out of the locker room.

C James Ferentz

Pennock’s logic for playing Ferentz was to rest Matt Paradis, who will undergo surgery on both hips this offseason. Ferentz has been on the roster for two years now, but has taken just 14 snaps on offense – and none at center. That’s what happens when you have an ironman like Paradis ahead of you. Fortunately for the Broncos, Paradis played without exacerbating his hip injury (or suffering a random injury).

Not only did Paradis play 100 percent of the offensive snaps again on Sunday (completing his second year of playing 100 percent of the snaps in a season), he also had a key fumble recovery on offense to keep the ball in the Broncos’ hands. Denver went on to score a touchdown on that drive.

NT Kyle Peko

With Sylvester Williams likely headed out of town next season (the Broncos declined his fifth-year option this past offseason), Sunday’s game against Oakland seemed like a great opportunity to give Peko a chance to shine. Oakland and their stout rushing attack of Latavius Murray and DeAndre Washington would be a major test for the undrafted rookie.

Denver was stout against the run, limiting the Raiders to just 57 yards rushing and no touchdowns, but Peko played only a small role in that effort. The rookie was active for the game and accounted for two tackles on his 16 defensive snaps.

The Others

OL Billy Turner

While we didn’t get a chance to see Connor McGovern, we did see Billy Turner play a few series at right guard in place of Michael Schofield. Turner wasn’t great in his 15 snaps – he was whistled for a holding penalty on one of them.

WR Jordan Taylor

The first-year wideout who spent last year on the practice squad had three catches for 41 yards on three targets. He flew under the radar in this game, but two of those three catches came on scoring drives.

RB Devontae Booker

The rookie out of Utah showed that he could get past the “rookie wall” with his most complete game of the season. He ran for 57 yards and a touchdown on 14 touches and added 52 yards and a touchdown on two catches. His 43-yard touchdown off a screen pass put Denver up 17-0 inside of 2:00 in the second half. To boot, he blocked much better than he has all season – helping keep Trevor Siemian (mostly) upright all day. His 109 all-purpose yards represented a career high.

OLB Shane Ray

Last year’s first-round draft pick didn’t have much to prove – he’s been steadily developing as a complement to Von Miller on the opposite edge all year – but with DeMarcus Ware out, Ray proved he’s ready to take on the starting roll full-time next year. Ware’s future is in doubt, especially in Denver, but Ray solidified his on Sunday with a strip sack.

S Will Parks and S Justin Simmons

T.J. Ward‘s contract expires next season, and it’s unclear at the present moment whether John Elway will make the same commitment to him that he just made Darian Stewart. Rookies Will Parks and Justin Simmons might have made Ward a bit more expendable with their excellent play, not just Sunday but all season long.

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