Pritchard: Siemian needs to step up for the sake of his career

For the sake of his career, Trevor Siemian needs to play better.

It might be a crazy statement to make right now, but some interesting possibilities still surround the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos starting quarterback and offensive captain has an amazing story. Siemian’s a seventh-round draft choice back in 2015 who is now trying to lead his team to lofty goals.

How did he get here? Well, he did it the old fashion way.

He earned it.

After securing the starting job during training camp, Siemian started the 2017 season with two very impressive games at home at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

Siemian garnered a ton of national attention after helping the Broncos defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, then the next week the Dallas Cowboys. During these two convincing victories, some mistakes were made by the young quarterback but quickly forgotten.

All is well as long as you win games in the NFL.

Heading into the bye, Denver sports a solid 3-1 record, good enough for second place in the AFC West behind the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.

But after suffering its first loss in Week 3 against the Buffalo Bills on the road, and then another woeful game from the offense against the Oakland Raiders in Week 4, some question will need to be answered not only immediately but also long-term.

In Buffalo, Siemian did not play well. He threw 40 times, completing just 24 passes for 259 yards, no touchdowns, and two picks.

Against the Raiders, the third-year quarterback had a middling performance, going 16-for-26 and only 179 yards. But his one touchdown toss sufficed, as the Broncos defense threw out another dominant performance.

Remember those mistakes Siemian made in the first two weeks? Well, those same mistakes popped up in Denver’s loss to Buffalo and its nail-biting win over Oakland.

Here is where the interesting possibilities surrounding the Broncos organization comes into play.

One-time Broncos starting quarterback Brock Osweiler is back on the roster in a backup role. This is the same Osweiler the Broncos targeted as its future quarterback post the Peyton Manning-era.

So, the question becomes: With Osweiler now standing on the sideline, healthy and ready to play, how many more mistakes can Siemian make?

It’s the bye week this week, then the lowly New York Giants in Week 5. Let’s hope Siemian continues to play well and lead the Broncos to more victories.

But … stay tuned!