Lynch (ankle) out 2-4 weeks, Siemian to start for Broncos in Miami
Nov 27, 2017, 2:17 PM | Updated: 2:24 pm
Paxton Lynch could be out as long as a month, and potentially the remainder of the Denver Broncos season, head coach Vance Joseph said on Monday.
Speaking to the media during his weekly Monday press conference, Joseph said Lynch suffered a high-ankle sprain in Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders and would miss two to four weeks.
With five games left, Joseph said he was “not sure” if Lynch would return to the field before the end of the season.
“We haven’t discussed that yet,” Joseph said.
Starter-turned-backup Trevor Siemian will return to the starting quarterback role moving forward, starting on the road against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
“He’s going to be our quarterback Sunday and moving forward here,” Joseph said.
Joseph lauded Siemian both after the game and on Monday, saying he thought the third-year quarterback did a “great job” preparing to play despite being relegated to a backup role.
“That speaks to Trevor as a person, to bounce back through adversity and to come back and play a decent football in the fourth quarter for us,” Joseph said on Monday. “I was excited to watch him go on two long drives and give us two touchdowns.”
Siemian led two late scoring drives of more than 70 yards, going 11-of-21 passing for 149 yards and two touchdowns. The third-year quarterback also earned his second-highest quarterback rating (107.0) since a Week 2 thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys (116.0).
On the sidelines, Lynch was visibly upset after being pulled late in the third quarter.
After coming back from a shoulder injury suffered in Week 3 of the preseason, the 2016 first-round draft pick assumed the starting role on Sunday for the first time since twice starting in relief of an injured Siemian during his rookie season.
Joseph said he and Lynch spoke after the game about his emotional episode on the sideline, saying the young gunslinger was frustrated about how his 2017 campaign had gone to this point.
“Obviously, he was hurt in Week 3 of the preseason. He got his chance to play. And he’s hurt again,” Joseph said on Monday. “He was disappointed, obviously, on how the year’s gone for him, and it’s understandable.”
Lynch also lost a preseason quarterback battle with Siemian, who then was benched in favor of Brock Osweiler after a Week 8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
“I was just more frustrated with having another injury and having to come out of the game … after I just recovered from one injury and the first game back I hurt my ankle,” Lynch said after the game. “I was kind of upset that I didn’t get to finish the game with my team.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
