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The Broncos announced Monday that Trevor Siemian will be the starting quarterback when the regular season opens in 10 days against the Panthers. The 2015 seventh-round pick beat out veteran Mark Sanchez and rookie first-rounder Paxton Lynch to earn the job.

This development comes a week after the Broncos' other candidate to start the season, Mark Sanchez, had a ragged Week 2 preseason performance against the 49ers.

"I just squandered a great opportunity to separate myself and I put the team in a bad situation," Sanchez said of an effort that included two turnovers. "There's no excuse for that, poor, poor quarterback play."

Meanwhile, Siemian was sharp, completing 10 of his first 11 passes and finishing 10 of 14 for 75 yards against the 49ers, and followed that up with a start against the Rams over the weekend. He finished 10 of 17 for 122 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

Heading into training camp, the quarterback position was the biggest question facing the Broncos. Peyton Manning retired in the offseason and Brock Osweiler signed with the Texans.

"We've got three quarterbacks, two of which weren't on this team last year and one that had one regular-season snap," coach Gary Kubiak explained last week. "I knew this was going to take some time and I think (it's) a credit to them in how well they've battled and pushed each other. It's down to the nitty-gritty here and we don't have to, but I'm going to make a decision next week and we're going to go to work. They've all put themselves in position to get the opportunity to go out there and compete."

Early on, it appeared to be Sanchez's job to lose -- and that's exactly what happened. Meanwhile, Siemian and Lynch had solid preseasons, and it could be only a matter of time before Lynch gets his chance. For now, the gig is Siemian's, and he'll enjoy the benefits that come with throwing passes to Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, as well as having the NFL's most tenacious defense making his life easier.

Here's a fun fact, too: Siemian is the first Northwestern alum to start an NFL regular season game since Sept. 23, 1979 when Randy Dean started for the Giants against the Eagles.