Paxton Lynch made his season debut on Sunday. He was supposed to cure the Broncos' quarterback woes. Instead, he became a part of the problem.
Against the Raiders on Sunday, Lynch went 9 of 14 for 41 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a 38.4 passer rating. So he didn't exactly pull a Nathan Peterman, but he did come awfully close His afternoon ended in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
At the time of his departure, the Broncos trailed 21-0. After Trevor Siemian replaced Lynch, the Broncos scored two touchdowns, but still lost 21-14.
On the sideline, Lynch wiped away tears.
Paxton Lynch in full tears on the sideline. They really represent the Broncos fans' emotions this season after 2-0. pic.twitter.com/khdoL1Ex0u
— Andrew Jerell Jones (@sluggahjells) November 26, 2017
Keep in mind: The Raiders' defense entered the game ranked 27th against the pass and dead last in DVOA. Three weeks ago, Jay Cutler carved them up for 311 yards and three touchdowns. Last week, Tom Brady shredded them for 340 yards and three touchdowns. On Sunday, Lynch averaged 2.9 yards per attempt.
Lynch, a first-round pick in 2016, failed to beat out Trevor Siemian in both of his summers in the NFL. Last year, he appeared in three games, but didn't flash any signs of promise. He completed 59 percent of his passes, averaged 6.0 yards per pass, threw two touchdowns and one interception, and posted a 79.2 passer rating.
This season -- after failing to beat out Siemian again in the preseason -- he'd been sidelined until Sunday with a shoulder injury. Given just how much both Siemian and Brock Osweiler struggled, and how much the Broncos invested in Lynch, it was always assumed Lynch would finish out the year as the starter. Well, his first start didn't go well and now he's dealing with a new injury.
None of this means that Lynch is already a bust. He's only started three games in his career and as we've seen with Jared Goff this season, writing off a young player so early in his career is never a good idea. And it's worth noting that other aspects of the Broncos' offense haven't played well around him. Young quarterbacks usually need help. Even still, this is probably the worst possible start to Lynch's career that GM John Elway could've imagined. And Sunday's outing looks even worse after how well Siemian played in relief.
Barring a strong showing by Lynch down the stretch, the Broncos will likely enter the offseason with another unsettled quarterback situation.
