Is Broncos' Statement Win over Colts Enough to Prove Trevor Siemian Is for Real?

We knew what kind of team the Denver Broncos had to be if they were to successfully defend their Super Bowl title in 2016. How did we know? Because we've seen it so many times before.

The blueprint for what went down Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts in a 34-20 statement win has been followed time and again. A swarming and punishing defense that has now allowed exactly 20 points in each of Denver's two wins to start the season may bend a little at times, but it never breaks.

The opposing quarterback is whacked repeatedly, and when he does march down the field, near-perfection is required to squeeze the ball through tight holes. If his crosshairs get even a little fuzzy, the Broncos pounce. That came against the Colts when cornerback Aqib Talib used his high-level field vision and anticipation in the fourth quarter to jump a route and take his interception the other way for a 46-yard pick-six.

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And outside linebacker Von Miller is so often the foundation for classic Broncos grinding wins. He finished with three sacks Sunday, including the game-sealing strip sack of Colts quarterback Andrew Luck that led to a touchdown after fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped up the loose ball and took it home for six points.

It all felt impressive but familiar at the same time. But there's one core difference between the 2015 Broncos and their continued dominance two games into 2016: They have a quarterback who became a lingering question mark all offseason.

Heading into the year, there was concern about whether Trevor Siemian's inexperience was too much for even the Broncos' brute-force defense and rushing offense to support. So far, Siemian has done his job and then some.

What was his job originally? To be an afterthought.

Sure, he has happily ceded the spotlight to Miller and his gang of merry tacklers. But Siemian started to step out of the shadows a bit in Week 2.

The result was a checkmark beside another part of his job description: Make key throws at key times.

Game	Completion %	Yards	Yds/attempt	TDs	INTs
Week 1 vs. Panthers	69.2	178	6.8	1	2
Week 2 vs. Colts	66.7	266	8.1	0	1
Totals	67.8	444	7.5	1	3

As the Broncos defense was doing its usual hammering, holding the Colts to an average of only 3.8 yards per play, Siemian led an offense that gained 6.2 yards each snap.

Much of the Broncos' forward offensive march was a product of running backs C.J. Anderson and Devontae Booker pinballing their way downfield. The two combined for 120 rushing yards, with Anderson scoring his third touchdown of the season.

But Siemian was there to steadily execute when needed. He attempted seven throws on third down and successfully moved the chains four times. The 24-year-old who hadn't attempted a regular-season pass prior to 2016 recorded 56 passing yards on those third-down throws.

He had his rookie-like stumble, which came in the form of another routine screen pass that was picked off. It wasn't the first mistake he's made through two games, as evidenced by his three interceptions. It won't be the last, either.

The challenge ahead for Siemian will be to erase the memory of those errors quickly while keeping the offense flowing. He did that by completing five passes for 43 yards on the next drive following his interception, which ended in a field goal to give the Broncos a seven-point halftime lead.

Siemian put the stamp on a half in which he threw for 215 yards, and his offense piled up 294 yards overall. The Broncos would ultimately finish with 400 total yards on offense, which is production we don't typically associate with a defense-first team.

Does any of that make Siemian a legend yet? Of course not, but don't tell Miller.

Siemian took over for a legend who descended from that status sharply during the 2015 season. And when Peyton Manning's body was rapidly failing him, the Broncos showed they were structured differently, with their core team pillars on the other side of the ball.

Winning without the quarterback needing a cape each week seems like a radical and bizarre idea at first. It goes against a fundamental NFL fact proven to be right most weeks: If you don't have a high-level quarterback, you're screwed.

The Broncos continue to show that inserting the pieces to confuse and beat top quarterbacks is their team's heartbeat. The gauntlet they faced to begin the season included squaring off against Luck and Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, two of the league's top passers. Denver responded by shrugging and then thumping, sacking Newton and Luck a combined eight times. Even more impressively, the Broncos held the two young cannon-armed pivots to only 391 passing yards at an average of 5.4 yards per attempt.

So no, the winning formula in Denver isn't surprising anymore. The Broncos' pass-rushers pound the opposing pocket, and their running backs try to plow through anyone in enemy colors.

But through two games against top-tier teams, there's plenty of reason to think Siemian is providing one final piece to the championship-defense puzzle.

It's still early, and as the Broncos go forward with a challenging schedule, we'll need to see more of the same from Siemian. So far, though, this team—and especially this defense—seems to have exactly what was needed all offseason.

A quarterback who can be trusted.