Lammey: Why’d it take so long for Paxton Lynch to play like this?

Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch was perfect on Thursday in joint practices against the San Francisco 49ers. In a padded practice (shoulder pads and shorts), Lynch was 12-for-12 passing.

Lynch worked over the 49ers defense in seven-on-seven and team drills. He went through multiple reads often and used his eyes to manipulate the defense.

The second-year quarterback made savvy throws and showed off the natural talent that made him a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph liked what he saw from Lynch’s flawless performance.

“Very impressed. He made three or four big time throws today. He looked relaxed. Hopefully that carries over to Saturday,” Joseph said.

Lynch was behind in the quarterback competition entering this week, but he gets his opportunity to start for the Broncos in the team’s second preseason game.

With a performance like he’s had over the last two days, and a strong performance on Saturday night, Lynch could thrust himself right back into this quarterback battle.

But why did it take Lynch so long to play like this? Let’s take a look.

Confidence is key

Football players are the ultimate alpha males, but if their confidence is shaken then they won’t play up to their potential.  Going up against the “No Fly Zone” and the suffocating defense of the Broncos is incredibly difficult, and it must be tough to build confidence when you rarely get the best of your opponent on a daily basis.

Against the 49ers, Lynch seemed relaxed. He said that no added pressure was felt entering a week where he was going to be the starter, and his play on Wednesday and Thursday backed up that statement.

“It was one of his best days,” wide receiver Demaryius Thomas said. “It’ll give him a little confidence and maybe he can be himself more often. You saw him smiling and everything, so that was good.”

Lynch was smiling on the first day of practice, and he was positively beaming after a perfect performance on day two.

Building momentum through practice

Lynch won both days of practice against the 49ers this week. He threw multiple touchdowns and no interceptions in these joint practices, and avoiding turnovers and mistakes was something he struggled with in camp at UCHealth Training Center.

With what he did in two days of joint practices, Lynch is carrying momentum into the game. And Joseph knows what he wants to see from his second-year quarterback on Saturday night.

“I want Paxton to relax and go out there and play his game. Make good decisions, move the chains and score points. Simple as that,” Joseph said.

“I don’t want him to feel pressure. I want him to be himself and be an athlete when he’s called to be an athlete. Just play quarterback for us.”

Momentum has been built for the first time since the first two days of training camp back at the end of July. Lynch needs to continue his strong play if he wants to be the starter at the beginning of the regular season.

Consistency will win the job

Both Joseph and general manager John Elway have talked about the consistency necessary to win the starting quarterback job for the Broncos. Joseph has told me that the key for Lynch is to have success on back-to-back-to-back plays.

The team doesn’t want him to be a flash in the pan; they want someone they can rely onto consistently make the right decision with the football.

And Elway said he appreciates the progress Lynch has shown through camp.

“I think what you saw in Paxton today is he played with a little more confidence than he has in the past. I think anytime he does that he’s a lot more successful,” Elway said.

“That comes with youth too. You have your ups and downs as youths and the consistency is not there where you want it to be. That’s why you continue to practice, continue to work and continue to get better.”

Why did it take Lynch this long to showcase his play at a high level?

At times, he’s lacked confidence, he struggled to build momentum against the league’s best defense in practice, and he wasn’t consistent enough with his opportunities.

Elway summed up Lynch’s week perfectly.

“We want to see progress, and the good thing is that’s what we’ve seen so far this week.”

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