Sanchez, who started the opening preseason matchup, watched the first quarter from the bench in the second game, as Trevor Siemian showed glimpses of potential, until a bad interception reminded he’s just a second-year player without any pedigree.
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The 49ers face Denver in their second preseason game of 2016, and it promises to be a tough test of San Francisco’s credentials ahead of the new season.
Kubiak also added that Siemian, Mark Sanchez, Paxton Lynch will all play and play around the same amount of time in the game.
On Saturday, Sieman started the game in which he completed 10 of 14 passes for 75 yards against one interception.
“I thought Trevor did a good job the other night”, Kubiak said. The third preseason game is typically when the regular season starters play the most minutes in a preseason game, giving Siemian extended time to play with the regulars. In Paxton’s case, his best plays won’t be the ones drawn up in the playbook-no, they will be the ones that he makes on his own, with his instincts, on his raw talent alone-the ones that make your jaw drop, and will lift 78,000 fans to their feet and send a roar of excitement across the Mile High City. He is set to be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so a team would only be taking on the past year of his current contract. I think it’s a credit to them and how well they’ve pushed each other. Hopefully, we come up with a plan for what I can do in the game and go out and play. It is expected that Kubiak will give the exact order after Siemian later in the week. Mark Sanchez, who would seem to be Siemian’s main competition, went 10 for 17 for 120 yards and lost two fumbles.
While that makes him the clear leader for the starting job September 8, when the Broncos open the regular season against the Carolina Panthers, Siemian has not yet closed the deal.
“He’s always been in the mix”, Kubiak said over the weekend. But on the next play the Broncos got the ball back on a 49ers fumble. Broncos’ general manager John Elway flirted with San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick for six weeks but when a trade never materialized, he traded up five spots in the first round to select Lynch, a 6-foot-7 prospect from the University of Memphis.
Although the decision isn’t the last or the biggest Kubiak has to make, it is significant as the season-opener nears.
Siemian started Saturday night and looked good early in moving the team into position for a scoring run by C.J. Anderson. He was 10-of-17 for 120 yards and was almost picked off by cornerback Chris Davis. We need to keep him coming, keep bringing him along.
Denver is also trying to figure out who the starting running back will be this season. I can say that about every player and coach in that room. At best, Lynch is buoyed by the confidence and turns moments like his rollout touchdown pass in the third quarter into something more consistent.
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The Broncos took a hit at quarterback this offseason, shortly after winning the Super Bowl.
