Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch was lustily booed by the team's fans in Denver on Saturday night when the quarterback entered a preseason game against the Chicago Bears late in the third quarter.
"I feel bad for Paxton, but our fans want to win," Broncos coach Vance Joseph said after Saturday's 24-23 preseason loss. "That's what it's about. It's about passion, I should say. But I feel bad for Paxton. He has to ignore it and go play. It's professional football. No one is going to hold your hand, so he has to go out there and perform."
Lynch was the third quarterback to play Saturday after being demoted to third string this past week, behind Chad Kelly and starter Case Keenum.
Lynch, a former first-round pick, continued to struggle, finishing 5-of-11 passing for 39 yards and was sacked twice.
"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 after the game.
Kelly, drafted with the last pick of the seventh round in 2016, was 7-of-9 for 90 yards and threw the Broncos' only touchdown of the night.
He is 11-of-22 passing for 63 yards and one interception in two preseason games this season. He said Saturday night he hasn't lost his confidence.
"Yeah, if you don't believe in yourself then no one else is going to believe in you. That's what I've got to do, I've got to hang on that and come to work every day and believe I can get better," he said.
Information from ESPN's Jeff Legwold was used in this report.
