CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Trevor Siemian stood outside the locker room on Sunday night, hopeful, if not confident, he can play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Monday, coach Gary Kubiak agreed with his assessment, while allowing himself room to maneuver depending on how the quarterback's sprained left shoulder responds during the week.
"Trevor's our starting quarterback. We're just day-to-day (with it)," Kubiak said. "His shoulder is really, really sore."
Siemian was expected to undergo more testing and an MRI on Monday to confirm the diagnosis of a sprained AC joint. The injury is painful, but manageable. Because it's Siemian's non-throwing arm, it's realistic to believe he could return this week. The Broncos have a history of taking a cautious approach, allowing symptoms, not the schedule, to dictate a player's path back to the field. Rookie Paxton Lynch, it can be argued, bought the Broncos some time. He impressed teammates with his poise -- "He's a gamer," tight end Virgil said. Lynch received first-team reps during training camp, and the experience and coaching, especially from QB guru Greg Knapp, paid off.
"Obviously, they're both good players. We're going to need the both," Kubiak said.
Lynch completed 14 of 24 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown to Emmanuel Sanders. He showed no fear throwing the ball downfield.
"He’s really doing a good job. (General manager) John (Elway) and I sat down and talked about it (Sunday) before the game and I said ‘John, I think he’s really growing.’ I’ve been watching him practice and prepare," Kubiak said. "You never know until he gets thrown into fire. We need to get a little more tempo and we need to get out of the huddle a little better. Those are things a young kid struggles with, but I thought he handled himself well.
Siemian suffered the shoulder on a violent sack. Tampa Bay's Clinton McDonald broke through the middle of the line and rag dolled Siemian, slamming him to the turf with his left shoulder absorbing the force.
"He just kind of grabbed me and then it was like, ‘Oh shoot, we’re going down,’ and he just tossed me down on it. Just landed on it funny,” said Siemian, who darted through the locker room Monday without comment.
Siemian fought injuries in college, missing time with ankle and knee issues. He hurt his right shoulder during the third preseason game when he missed a tackle on an interception. He remains hopeful he can won't miss time this week.
"I think I’m just going to take it one day at a time and see what (Antonopulos) says tomorrow, but yeah, that’s the plan. I’ll be ready to play,” Siemian said.
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