Paxton Lynch struggles may open door in Denver Broncos backup battle

Denver Broncos backup quarterback Paxton Lynch was booed off the field during Saturday's preseason game against the visiting Minnesota Vikings.

Lynch, who was the 26th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, completed just 6 of 11 passes for 24 yards with an interception.

"There's always things to work on, obviously," Lynch said, per the team's website. "You can go out there and throw four touchdowns and 300 yards and there's still things to work on."

Broncos head coach Vance Joseph was asked if Chad Kelly would receive work with the second team after the quarterback completed 14 of 21 passes for 177 yards with two touchdowns and one interception against the Vikings.

"We'll see," Joseph said of Kelly, who was the 253rd and final pick of the 2017 NFL Draft. "We'll watch the tape and see where we are. Obviously, Case [Keenum] is the starter, so that's my main concern.

"Chad has played well. He played well tonight, outside of the one interception, which led to a score for those guys. He is a guy that plays with a lot of confidence. That's a good deal."

Keenum struggled in his first start, completing just 1 of 4 passes for five yards.

"It's just frustrating not playing well and you don't have a chance to bounce back from it," Keenum said.

Keenum started 14 regular-season contests and both postseason games last season while leading the Vikings within one win of the Super Bowl. The former journeyman made $2 million on a one-year deal in 2017 before signing a two-year, $36 million deal with Denver in the offseason.

Lynch has posted a 1-3 mark in four career starts with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Lynch has completed 79 of 128 passes for 792 yards in five career appearances.