Paxton Lynch has gone from a possible No. 1 starter to Public Enemy No. 1 in Denver.
Lynch, their 2016 first-round pick, lost the competition to be the starter the past two years. This year, he’s lost the backup job and the fans.
With the Broncos in control at 23-10 in Saturday’s preseason game against the Bears, Lynch entered to a thunderclap of boos, which only increased through three drives that went nowhere.
“Well, I feel bad for Paxton, but our fans want to win,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “That’s what it’s about, it’s about passion, I should say. But I feel bad for Paxton. But he has to ignore it and go play. It’s professional football. No one’s going to hold your hand, so he has to go out there and perform.”
Lynch didn’t.
A week after his 24-yard performance led to his demotion, he threw for just 39 yards on 5-of-11 passing with a pair of sacks.
He nevertheless had the Broncos (0-2) in field-goal range when he hit Isaiah McKenzie on a short slant route and the speedy receiver, who fumbled six times as a rookie, coughed up the football on second effort at the Chicago 37 and linebacker Isaiah Irving recovered it with 58 seconds left.
“I just haven’t been playing well. It’s not acceptable, especially playing quarterback here. You have to play well and give [the Broncos] an opportunity to win every week,” Lynch said.