Denver Broncos quarterback review vs. Los Angeles Rams

Taking a look at the Denver Broncos’ quarterback performance against the Los Angeles Rams in week three of the NFL preseason…

It wasn’t a perfect performance by any means, but the Denver Broncos appear to have their starting quarterback for the regular season barring a new development in the final week of the preseason.

Trevor Siemian did some good things, and he did some bad things against the Los Angeles Rams, while Paxton Lynch came in and did much of the same en route to a Denver Broncos victory. Let’s dive a little deeper into each player’s performance…

Siemian came out with the first unit for the first half, and made some really nice plays. He was credited for an interception that was actually dropped by a defensive player, but the play was upheld (not confirmed) after review. Siemian should have thrown another interception later, so I suppose he was appropriately credited with just the one since he got away with one.

The interception that should not have been came on a ball that was underthrown deep down the right side of the field to wide receiver Cody Latimer, who could have tried to come back to the ball a little more, but Siemian also should have gotten the ball out in front of him and made a play. Perhaps his shoulder injury had something to do with the lack of zip behind that throw, but no one knows for certain.

Siemian made one of his best throws of the preseason and a deep ball to wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who was having his left arm pulled down as he snatched the ball out of the air with one hand.

It was somewhat of a tough night to evaluate Siemian early on, as the Broncos opted for six straight runs to open the game with no first downs. Two possessions ending in punts after three plays isn’t exactly what the Broncos want to see in a dress rehearsal, but this is a team that led the NFL in pass attempts over the first two preseason games, so they wanted to see if they could set up the pass by establishing the run.

As it turned out, they needed to use the pass to set up the run.

Once Siemian started throwing the ball with more regularity, the Broncos started moving the ball and the Broncos took a 10-9 lead at the end of the second quarter with Siemian leading the offense.

There seems to be a general consensus after this performance — despite some of the bad reads — that Siemian has solidified the job as the team’s starting quarterback, at least for the time being. I didn’t see anything on Saturday night to disagree with that. Siemian might not be a spectacular specimen like Paxton Lynch, but he does everything pretty well and he is fully capable of moving the offense.

As for Paxton Lynch, it was probably the most average night we’ve seen from him thus far in the preseason. There were factors that played into that as well, however, despite the fact that Lynch took reps with the ‘second’ unit.

First and foremost, Cody Latimer was injured early in the second half, and the Broncos continue to leave Jordan Taylor off the field when Lynch comes into the game for the most part. Thus, the majority of the second half, Lynch was without Bennie Fowler, Cody Latimer, and Jordan Taylor, and the offensive line he was working with was certainly not stellar.

That said, Lynch was also guilty at times of holding the ball too long or making errant throws, but we were able to see his strong arm and excellent mobility yet again in this game, as well as his ability to make some throws under pressure.

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There was one throw in particular from Lynch that went to Mose Frazier at the sideline that Frazier caught but he couldn’t quite get both feet in bounds. Lynch was under intense pressure and couldn’t step into the throw, but he placed the ball perfectly and gave his receiver a chance to make a play.

We’ll undoubtedly get to see plenty of Lynch on Thursday against the Cardinals, perhaps in a starting role and with some first-team reps.

What we don’t know if we’ll see again is Mark Sanchez in a Denver Broncos uniform. He was in uniform on Saturday night against the Rams, but he didn’t play a single snap as the Broncos feel confident they know what they have in the veteran.

That certainly doesn’t bode well for his chances of starting against the Panthers, and it could indicate he doesn’t have a place on this roster. If the plan is to go with Siemian while Lynch gets ready, what do you need Sanchez around for, to be a security blanket?

The Broncos have decisions to make, but it seems like it’ll be Trevor Siemian starting against the Panthers in the season opener with Paxton Lynch still a few weeks away from taking his spot.