Oakland Raiders: Ranking The AFC West By Position Group – Quarterbacks
By Kevin Saito
4. Trevor Siemian / Paxton Lynch (Denver Broncos)
Who Denver’s starting quarterback is going to be is a question that’s still up in the air. Lynch and Siemian are going to have to battle it out through camp before a final decision is made – a decision that could change based on how they play in live action during the regular season, of course.
Given how last season played out though, neither Lynch nor Siemian seems to be a quarterback that can take the Broncos to the promised land. While both played – okay – neither was particuarly stellar under center.
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The fact that Denver won nine games last season and remained competitive in the division is a testament to their defense – fourth in the NFL in 2016 – rather than to their offense.
With Seimian and Lynch running the show last season, Denver’s passing game was ranked twenty-first in the league. Their twenty passing touchdowns were also ranked twenty-first. And their scoring average of just a tick over twenty points a game ranked them twenty-second in the league.
Between them, Siemian and Lynch combined for 3,898 yards on just 59 percent passing and threw eleven interceptions against those twenty touchdowns. They also combined for a QB rating of 83.9 and took 40 sacks.
All in all, it wasn’t a great year for Denver’s passing offense. They’ve got two of the best receivers in the division in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, but if Siemian and Lynch can’t get the ball to them consistently, their talents are wasted.
As Denver begins another season, they are left to hope that either Lynch or Siemian has improved enough to give the Broncos a threat in the passing game. Barring that improvement though, Denver’s quarterback situation remains the worst in the AFC West.