Denver Broncos: QB Trevor Siemian's huge breakout game
The Denver Broncos might have really unearthed a gem in former seventh round pick Trevor Siemian. How good was his week 3 performance?
Denver Broncos starting quarterback Trevor Siemian has ice in his veins. We could see that from the first throw of his NFL career…
First NFL Pass = First NFL Completion.
@TrevorSiemian#CARvsDEN https://t.co/TsufW9vljA
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) September 9, 2016
That is the kind of play on the opening drive against the reigning NFC Champions that gives your coaches confidence in what you are capable of doing in tough situations.
Of course, the first three games have not been all good for Siemian. He’s made some bad throws resulting in interceptions, other bad throws that should have been picked off but weren’t, but he’s also done a pretty great job for the Broncos when they’ve needed it most.
This statistic really says it all…
#Broncos QB Trevor Siemian’s passer rating per quarter so far this season:
1st – 67.3
2nd – 97.4
3rd – 60.3
4th – 146.9— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) September 26, 2016
So, do you want to know why John Elway and Gary Kubiak love this kid so much? Do you wonder why his teammates love him? The Denver Broncos are a team that won a Super Bowl last season because of clutch play in the fourth quarter and really the whole ‘fourth quarter’ of the season. They made a habit of making fourth quarter comebacks, winning tight games at the end of regulation or in overtime, and winning with toughness on both sides of the football.
After two games, Siemian had thrown just one touchdown pass compared to three interceptions, but the Broncos were 2-0. It was easy for one group of Broncos fans to look at Siemian’s performance and wonder why in the world Paxton Lynch wasn’t starting. After all, if the Broncos were willing to let a quarterback struggle through his growing pains, why not let it be your first round pick you just traded up for?
Fair question.
However, it’s been clear since March, when Gary Kubiak first made comments about the quarterback situation post-Peyton Manning, that Siemian would have a legitimate shot at being ‘the guy’ for this team. As it turns out, the Broncos have been willing to be more patient with Siemian than many thought.
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This team clearly has two players it feels are franchise quarterbacks. Is that an over-reaction based on three starts for Siemian? Perhaps, but it’s a testament to what this team feels about him that they believed in him to defend their championship crown. Siemian was the first quarterback selected by John Elway and Gary Kubiak together as a unit.
And after his performance against the Bengals, Siemian is looking like an absolute steal for Elway and company.
It was a struggle in the first half for Siemian, but he managed two of his four touchdown passes to give the Broncos a 16-14 halftime lead. The first throw was a 41-yard bomb to Emmanuel Sanders on 3rd-and-5. The second touchdown came on an absolutely perfectly-placed ball by Siemian, who fit the ball in about as tight a window as you could have tried to fit it through.
Siemian didn’t throw another touchdown pass until the fourth quarter of the game when he finished off a drive by hitting John Phillips for a go-ahead one-yard touchdown at the goal line. He then had the Broncos in a 3rd-and-11 situation at their own 45-yard line before he hit Demaryius Thomas on a perfect throw downfield to beat a young cornerback for Cincinnati and put the game on ice for the Broncos.
And for the record, this season, Siemian on 3rd-and-10 plus? He’s completed seven-of-nine passes for 112 yards. One of the big knocks against Siemian was his inability to get the ball downfield accurately or in general. Here’s another stat for you:
#broncos QB Trevor Siemian has completed 81.8 pct of 10+ air yard passes this season (highest pct in NFL)
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) September 26, 2016
It really is interesting how John Elway and the Broncos have been able to identify players in the late rounds that not only fit their system, but can be plugged in at a young age and have remarkable success. Siemian hasn’t shown he’s the next Tom Brady just yet, but he’s certainly off to a good start to his young NFL career and deserved the game ball he received after a masterful performance — specifically in the fourth quarter — in the Broncos’ win against the Bengals.
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