Rival Report 10/4: Beginning of a QB controversy for Denver Broncos?

Trevor Siemian has had a very good start to the year with a 99.6 QB Rating so far, but could his shoulder injury open the doors for 1st round pick Paxton Lynch to take over the starting job anyway? Gary Kubiak is saying no for now, Siemian's shoulder seems like it will be ok and he is expected to start Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.

However, that doesn't mean a controversy isn't about to begin in Denver, that's what happens when you use a 1st round pick on a QB and they play well in their NFL debut. After Siemian went down with an injury in the 2nd quarter of the Broncos 27-7 win against Tampa Bay, rookie Paxton Lynch came in and played pretty dang well.

His 14 of 24 passing isn't spectacular, but his 170 yards on those 14 completions is pretty impressive and he led the Broncos to a touchdown and 2 field goals. That might not seem like that much, but the Broncos don't need that much with the defense they have. Whether you want to hear it or not, that defense is still absolutely elite and they really only need mistake free football from their QB to win games with a defense like that.

They pretty much got that from Paxton Lynch and that's why it might be time to start the Lynch era in Denver. They didn't invest a 1st round pick in Lynch to have him sit behind the previous year's 7th round pick, not unless that 7th rounder was a diamond in the rough. If Paxton Lynch is already ready to play good enough for the Broncos then that investment might be too big to keep him off the field much longer.

However, you can't just write off Trevor Siemian either just yet. He has had a very good start to the year, he has a 67.3 completion percentage with 824 yards, 6 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 3 and a half games. Those might not be elite stats but just last week he became the first QB to have 300 yards passing and 4 touchdowns in his first start on the road. That is a performance that can not just be ignored, and that is why if he is healthy it is still his job to hold on to for now.

It's going to take consistent, impressive play from Siemian to keep the rookie off his heels though. Any steps back could be disastrous for Siemian, so he will need to keep moving forward in order to keep his position as the starting QB in Denver. Will he be able to do that? We are going to find out soon enough, because the Broncos are walking into a shootout scenario even with their incredible defense in their next game against the suddenly elite again offense of the Atlanta Falcons.

If Siemian doesn't play great against a porous Falcons defense (even if he has a sore shoulder) then the calls for Paxton Lynch to start are going to get louder. Atlanta is a very good team, but they make their bones on their offense despite having a defense that is not very good. That's what makes this such a huge moment for Trevor Siemian, he will need to bring his best to compete against a high flying offense like the Falcons.

Paxton Lynch will be watching from the sidelines eagerly waiting for his era to begin, and any missteps by Siemian could easily trigger that era sooner rather than later. Denver is 4-0 with a crazy good defense so if any team is set up to handle a QB controversy it's them, but it certainly appears that is exactly what they are going to be dealing with now.

Gary Kubiak gives update on Trevor Siemian, Broncos QB situation | FOX Sports
Siemian's injury is being called a bruised shoulder, but he's expected to be OK.

Trevor Siemian out, Paxton Lynch in. And now Broncos have quarterback quandary.
"We felt like we could have put Trevor back in the game," coach Gary Kubiak said. "But I really liked the job Paxton did. He was handling himself, handling the team well, so we stuck with him."

Is there a quarterback controversy in Denver? - Mile High Report
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