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Report: Paxton Lynch to start for Broncos vs. Raiders in Week 12

By John Buhler

DENVER, CO - JANUARY 1: Quarterback Paxton Lynch No. 12 of the Denver Broncos warms up before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - JANUARY 1: Quarterback Paxton Lynch No. 12 of the Denver Broncos warms up before the game against the Oakland Raiders at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on January 1, 2017 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) /
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After seeing Brock Osweiler struggle under center, the Denver Broncos are going to trot out second-year pro Paxton Lynch vs. the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

Things may not be going very well for the 4-6 Oakland Raiders right now, but at least the Silver and Black know who their starting quarterback will be for the foreseeable future. Derek Carr has been solid in his first four years with the Raiders. The same sort of quarterbacking competence cannot be said for the Raiders’ division rival in the Denver Broncos.

Since Peyton Manning retired after winning Super Bowl 50, the Broncos have become a borderline laughing-stock at the quarterback position. Manning’s heir apparent Brock Osweiler signed a massive contract with the Houston Texans in 2016 NFL free agency without even interviewing with head coach Bill O’Brien.

He would struggle in 2016 with Houston and would be traded to the awful Cleveland Browns in a glorified salary dump. After getting cut by the Browns in the 2017 NFL preseason, he would sign with the Broncos. The prodigal son’s return to the Mile High City wasn’t great.

He was horrible in place of the failing Trevor Siemian. After seeing the Broncos fall to 3-7 on the year and lose their sixth game in a row, head coach Vance Joseph was left with no choice but to trot out second-year pro Paxton Lynch.

Lynch was the Broncos’ 2016 first-round pick out of Memphis. He has played sparingly in his first two years with the Broncos, but it will be his turn to lead the team on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

This will be Lynch’s first game of 2017, as he has been dealing with a shoulder injury all season. His ailing shoulder was the reason Denver decided to bring back Osweiler into the fold. In his young NFL career, Lynch has played in three games, making two starts. He is 1-1 as a starter, completing 59.0 percent of his passes for 497 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

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Since Lynch hasn’t played very much, people view him as somewhat of a bust. That being said, he was a stellar player in college for the Memphis Tigers.

His great play at Memphis was key on his former head coach Justin Fuente getting the Virginia Tech Hokies gig.

So what does this mean for the Raiders? Oakland has a massive advantage at quarterback this weekend. However, Lynch is a big, dual-threat playmaker, capable of getting the best of Oakland’s abysmal defense.

Next: 5 Raiders to watch vs. Broncos in Week 12

Should the Raiders lose to the Broncos at home on Sunday to fall to 4-7 with Lynch starting at quarterback, this might put most of the Oakland coaching staff on the hot. Oakland has four plus days to prepare for Lynch as the Broncos starting quarterback. There are no excuses for the Silver and Black to not get it done on Sunday afternoon in the Coliseum.

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