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For over three and a half quarters the Denver Broncos offense was as listless and inefficient as it had been at any point this season. Paxton Lynch was unable to sustain any drives and looked mostly like a bad quarterback out there.
Down 21-0, Lynch injured his ankle on a play and in came Trevor Siemian. From then on, the Broncos offense began to make some noise as they raced back into the game.
This @TrevorSiemian TD pass... #DENvsOAK pic.twitter.com/0HDLVieQKl
— NFL (@NFL) November 27, 2017
Ultimately, they came up short, but Siemian may have won his job back in the process.
“I think after that first series, I was just set on firing a bunch of completions in there and seeing what happens,” Siemian said of his mentality coming in late in the game. “The guys made a bunch of plays and got a little momentum and then you’re in two-minute mode, so you’re just firing away at that point and we were just one possession short.”
To come in after being benched due to a very bad three to four game stretch and play at a high level was amazing to see. Siemian was inactive just two weeks ago. During that time, he never let his focus waver.
“I just think not dressing, you’re out of it a little bit, no doubt,” Siemian said of his mentality over the last month. “But when you’re the backup, you’re dialed in as much dialed in as Paxton was, so I’m getting as many mental reps as I can. And you’re one play away and that’s not just quarterback. That’s all of our twos across the board so Vance has been good about that.”
The reports coming out of Denver last week was all about giving Lynch these final six games to show what he can do, but now the reports suggest he will be one and done.
So much for seeing how Lynch grows with playing time. #Broncos have that "QB PhD" though. They clearly know what they are doing here. https://t.co/8nkt2gbkWk
— MileHighReport (@MileHighReport) November 27, 2017
While I am not fond of how the Broncos can’t seem to stick to a decision in 2017, I am glad they appear to still have a strong desire to win games despite the season already being over. Siemian wants to play and he did come out and play well.
“I want to play,” Siemian said. “That’s out of my hands, my job. Once I wasn’t playing, I just said whenever my next opportunity is, that’s what I’m going to worry about and make the most of it when the ball comes my way.”
These final five games will likely be tough for Broncos fans to get through, but the one thing there is to watch is to see how guys play for next season.