Paxton Lynch sat alone on the frozen grass in disbelief. His back was to the south end zone, where the Chiefs were celebrating the touchdown they had made out of the latest crippling mistake by the Broncos’ quarterback.
Lynch had just absorbed a sack late in the third quarter at his own 21-yard line, his team trailing by a touchdown. He fumbled the ball after he was leveled by Kansas City lineman Chris Jones. He then sat powerless on the ground as linebacker Ramik Wilson scooped up the ball and hopped across the goal line, delivering a major body blow in a Broncos season marked by bruises.
After a few moments, Denver’s 2016 first-round pick peeled himself off the grass and trudged toward the sideline. On a bitterly cold day, it looked like the latest audition for Denver’s oft-labeled quarterback of the future would end with a whimper.
Instead, Lynch revealed a grit mostly absent in his previous three career starts. He overcame three turnovers — two in the second half — to lead the Broncos on a game-tying touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, which he capped with 6-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas.
“I thought he got better tonight,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said of Lynch. “I really did.”
It wasn’t enough to prevent the Broncos, doomed by Kansas City’s game-winning field goal as time expired, from finishing 5-11 in one of the worst seasons in the team’s NFL history. And it wasn’t enough to allay all the reasonable doubts — about his durability, his grasp of offensive schemes, his ability to overcome mistakes — that have largely defined his two seasons in a Broncos uniform.
But it was enough to leave Lynch believing “in my heart” that his best in the NFL is yet to come.
“I love football so much and I wish I could play it all the time,” said Lynch, who finished 21-of-31 for 254 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and an 87.3 quarterback rating. “When it ends, it kind of hits you at once. It’s tough, especially when you end the season like this — on a loss — and had the season you did. The only thing you can do now is put it behind you and get to work in the offseason. I’m excited about that, to put in the work in the offseason and come back and be the guy.”
Injuries shrank what could have been a bigger opportunity this season for Lynch to make his mark on Denver’s quarterback plans going forward. But he showed flashes Sunday — albeit against mostly reserves — of the promise general manager John Elway and others in the organization saw when they drafted him out of Memphis less than two years ago.
Lynch completed 13-of-18 passes for 159 yards in the first half, and his 29-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back De’Angelo Henderson in the second quarter gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead. Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave had dialed up a series of quick timing routes with short dropbacks to help Lynch get the ball out quickly.
But Musgrave couldn’t keep Lynch from staring down wide receiver Jordan Taylor as the Broncos attempted to register a scoring drive late in the second quarter. He couldn’t keep Lynch, who had ample time in the pocket, from forcing a throw into triple coverage. The ball was tipped, then picked off by Chiefs linebacker Terrance Smith.
The turnover ended Denver’s threat and left them with a 14-10 halftime deficit. And it appeared to begin a spiral for Lynch, who was sacked five times in the second half. Trailing 24-10 after his fumble turned into a Chiefs touchdown, he drove the Broncos to the doorstep of the end zone midway through the fourth quarter.
But after another sack, the Broncos faced a fourth-and-15 at the Kansas City 16-yard line. Lynch lofted a pass toward the goal line for Isaiah McKenzie, but it was intercepted by Terrance Mitchell at the 2-yard line. It looked final blow on something very close to a lost season for the second-year quarterback.
Then came the late rally, aided by a Broncos score on defense. Lynch using his legs to make plays, delivering darts to open receivers and lofting the scoring pass to Thomas to tie the game.
“He was able to get out and extend the play,” Taylor said. “I think that’s something Paxton can bring to the table. He’s a competitor, for sure, and I think he’s definitely improved.”
But has he improved enough to be a part of the Broncos’ quarterback picture 2018? It’s just one question in an offseason loaded with them.
“I want to be the quarterback of this organization,” Lynch said. “That’s what they brought me here for. That’s what I believe in my heart. … I’m focused on what I need to focus on and that’s being the best me I can be so I can make this team the best they can be.”
