Paxton Lynch's nearly flawless preseason finale on Thursday didn't matter in the way that preseason games almost never matter, but it mattered in the sense that it saved his job. 

According to Mike Klis of 9News in Denver, Lynch will be on the Broncos' final 53-man roster when the deadline comes and goes at 4 p.m. ET Saturday, which means the Broncos will roll into the season with three quarterbacks. Lynch might've saved his job, but he's still stuck behind both QB1 Case Keenum and QB2 Chad Kelly, who won the backup job over Lynch this preseason.

Still, after how dreadful Lynch looked through most of the preseason, simply making the roster should be considered an achievement. He likely only saved his roster spot because of what he did during the Broncos' final preseason game on Thursday.

Against the Cardinals, Lynch completed 14 of 15 passes for 128 yards (8.5 YPA), two touchdowns, no picks, and a 141.8 passer rating. He was nearly perfect (playing with and against backups).

Leaping to huge conclusions after a Week 4 preseason performance is dangerous, so it's not like we should suddenly expect Lynch to become a viable starter. He's still the quarterback who failed to beat out Trevor Siemian for two straight seasons, lost his backup job to Chad Kelly, and has posted a 76.7 passer rating in five regular-season appearances. His career outlook remains bleak.

Most teams don't like to keep three quarterbacks on their final roster, but Lynch's first-round pedigree likely made it difficult for general manager John Elway to move on from him. That doesn't mean Lynch will remain with the Broncos throughout the remainder of the season. As Klis indicated, the Broncos will take a look at the waiver wire to see if they can make an upgrade. 

But for now, the Paxton Lynch era in Denver is still alive -- barely breathing, but alive nonetheless.