ENGLEWOOD, Colo. --You know all about the touchdown passes, of course. Four in all. Two of greater than 40 yards. Trevor Siemian took a major step toward establishing himself as a complete NFL quarterback in the win over the Bengals.
He also took that step by doing some of the little things. Looking off the safety, for one, and thus not telegraphing his 55-yard touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas that provided the final margin. By keeping his eyes to his right, he ensured that Thomas would remain in a one-on-one battle -- one that, with Adam Jones sitting out for a play, he was likely to win against Cincinnati's Chris Lewis-Harris.
The ability to not betray his intent with his eyes is one area in which Siemian has demonstrated growth, Head Coach Gary Kubiak noted Wednesday.
"I think he's getting comfortable with coverage, what he's seeing and who he needs to look off," Kubiak said. "One of the hardest things for a young quarterback, you give him something and he stares it down. People are really good defensively, but when a guy can play with his eyes ... I think he's shown progress in that area."
He's also shown the trust a quarterback needs to have in his targets, to know they will get to a spot, no matter what could prevent it.
His 29-yard completion earlier that series to Jeff Heuerman is one example, as Heuerman gets caught up in traffic and nearly collides with a Bengals defender.
But Siemian still delivers the football once he sees Heuerman has avoided losing stride, and the 29-yard completion was perhaps the most significant non-touchdown play of the day for the Broncos, moving them to near midfield and providing momentum for the touchdown to come.
The promise is there for Siemian, and it's how he earned a game ball and AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
NOTES:
... The offense will head to Florida's west coast this weekend looking to improve its consistency and first-down production. The Broncos had more drives without a first down (six) than in the previous two games combined (three), largely because its first-down production was its lowest this season, an average of 4.06 yards per first-down play, down from 5.79 yards per first-down play over the first two games.
... For the season, the Broncos are averaging 5.67 yards per first-down play, with 4.00 yards per carry (not including kneeldowns) and 7.74 yards per first-down pass play.
