Even the Trevor Siemian apologists were scratching their heads on Sunday when head coach Gary Kubiak refused to play rookie Paxton Lynch in a 24-6 blowout win over the Oakland Raiders.

On Friday, Kubiak told reporters he expected to split snaps down the middle – one half per quarterback – in the season finale. That news came after Denver had been eliminated from playoff contention the week prior, as almost everyone in Broncos Country agreed that they needed to see more of the rookie as part of the evaluation process for next season. That news, however, came before the biggest news of the week, which may have played a big role in why Lynch didn’t play.

On Sunday morning ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news that Kubiak was likely retiring at season’s end, with a formal announcement coming later this week. As a result, Kubiak left nothing to question in what will probably be his final game as an NFL head coach.

Instead of giving Lynch another chance to get game reps, Kubiak stuck with Siemian through the entirety of the game, even with a big lead and on several drives that only called for handing the ball off.

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Siemian ended the day 17-of-27 for 206 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Meanwhile, veteran Justin Forsett (who played under Kubiak in Baltimore) had 22 touches for 90 yards, including a 64-yard run. Rookie Devontae Booker found the end zone twice in the win and the Denver defense forced three turnovers.

The win gave Kubiak 24 total during his tenure as head coach over two years, and though this one was never really in question, Kubiak left nothing to chance.

The decision had plenty of folks in the Denver media scratching their heads, including many longtime Trevor Siemian supporters. Here’s a look at what they were saying as Kubiak went back to Siemian time and again, while Lynch stood on the sidelines…

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