Brock Osweiler will remain in the driver’s seat for the Denver Broncos. Despite Osweiler’s horrible performance against the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph said Monday he will start Osweiler against the New England Patriots in Week 10.
Broncos sticking with Brock Osweiler as starting QB vs. the Patriots
The Broncos aren’t getting the kind of production they wanted at the quarterback position, but they don’t have many options either.
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What happened?
After quarterback Trevor Siemian tossed three interceptions during Denver’s 29-19 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, Joseph decided to bench Siemian. Osweiler was thrust into the starting lineup against the Eagles in Week 9, and threw just six passes before delivering his first interception.
Joseph told the Associated Press’ Arnie Stapleton the decision “came down to what’s best for our football team and frankly, what’s best for Trevor’s future.” When Joseph benched Siemian in favor of Osweiler, he made is message clear: Protect the football.
“You know, the saying is ‘job security is ball security,’ and if you protect the football, you’re going to stay out there on the field,” Osweiler said. “So, game manager, protecting the football, whatever you call it, that’s our job every week.”
However, Osweiler didn’t get the message against Philadelphia — he threw for 208 yards to go along with one touchdown and two interceptions. The Eagles won 51-23, and Denver’s offense spiraled out of control. But Joseph still believes in Osweiler enough to let him start against the Patriots.
Why is this important?
Denver’s quarterback situation is a mess right now. Osweiler and Siemian are struggling to make plays, and the team as a whole is suffering because of that. The Broncos have to figure out a way to decrease turnovers in the passing game.
After the game, Osweiler questioned some of the decisions he made.
“Looking back on it, I [threw] it to Emmanuel [Sanders] in the red area,” Osweiler said.
“Well, if I throw it to [Demariyus Thomas], maybe we have a touchdown. But that’s football. It’s easy to second-guess yourself after the plays happen. We just have to clean it up. Philadelphia’s too good of a football team. When you get into their territory, you have to find ways to score touchdowns. You’re not going to beat a team like that on the road by kicking field goals and punting the football all day.”
In this game against the Patriots, Osweiler’s job should be simple: Make plays when you need to, avoid interceptions, and extend drives.
If Osweiler doesn’t show promise, he could end up losing his job to Paxton Lynch once he’s healthy. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday that the possibility of that happening wouldn’t be surprising.
At 3-5, the Broncos are last in the AFC West. They have to avoid this quarterback carousel if they want to make the playoffs.
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