Lammey: Paxton Lynch loses in Broncos win in San Francisco

The Denver Broncos traveled to Santa Clara, California, this week to hold joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers. Second-year quarterback Paxton Lynch shined in work with the first-team offense during practice, having two strong days of practice that included a perfect 12-for-12 performance on Thursday. But he needed to carry that momentum over to the preseason game against the 49ers on Saturday night.

Lynch did not do that.

Instead, he went 9-of-13 for 39 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. Lynch also added three rushing attempts for 27 yards.

These are disappointing numbers given what he showed during the week, and it’s an especially crucial time with the Broncos giving him an opportunity to win the starting job.

That opportunity may now be over, as Trevor Siemian could be named the starting quarterback after going 8-of-11 passing for 93 yards and a touchdown on Saturday night.

After the game, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph summed up the quarterback play with praise for Siemian.

“I saw Paxton make some plays with his legs, as he should (because) he’s an athlete. Trevor was solid. He made good decisions, his ball placement was on point tonight. You know, he controlled the huddle, so I was pleased with Trevor,” Joseph said.

Lynch had a couple of chances to make big plays with his arm. One deep pass intended for Demaryius Thomas was overthrown and incomplete.

I asked Lynch after the game what he saw during that play.

“I think he might have been grabbed a little coming out of that break. I know when I came to the sideline I was talking to him, and he said he got held up,” Lynch said

Thomas appeared frustrated after the play, flailing his arms with no flag thrown despite being interfered with. That play would have roughly been a 45-yard touchdown and would’ve improved Lynch’s numbers on the night.

The play that highlights just how much Lynch has to learn is diagramed below:

The Broncos were in 11 personnel (one running back and one tight end) in a tight formation with Lynch in the shotgun. The 49ers were in single-high safety, man free defense, and there were two areas open in the pre-snap read.

Lynch locked onto tight end Virgil Green, who was running a corner route on the left side. To the outside, wide receiver Jordan Taylor ran an out route.

The young quarterback should’ve looked to the other zone that was open before the snap.

On the right side, wide receiver Bennie Fowler runs a deep cross route. To the outside of him, Thomas runs a shallow cross and is wide open. Had Thomas been targeted on that play — Lynch didn’t look to the right and only read one side of the field — it would have easily moved the chains and likely ended up as a 15-yard (or more) gain.

This play highlights how Lynch needs to adjust when reading a defense instead of throwing to pre-determined spots based on route concepts. The defense was playing outside coverage, which is tough for a tight end to get open on near the sideline.

Had Lynch recognized the outside technique by the corners, he would have known to hit the shallow cross on the inside. Even the deep cross to Fowler would’ve been a better throw as he was more open than the double-teamed Green.

Contrary to what some believe, Lynch has shown improvement this year. However, he’s not yet improved enough to be the Broncos starter in 2017.

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