Rookie QB Kelly able to stay focused as fans chant his name

Chad Kelly counted the days. All 646 of them.

That is the time elapsed between his final game at Ole Miss, knee surgery, wrist surgery and then finally Saturday night, Kelly’s NFL debut as the Broncos’ preseason third-string quarterback.

“I was looking forward to throwing touchdowns, getting hit, making plays,” Kelly said, “and doing whatever it is to get my team in the end zone.”

Kelly entered the game for Denver’s second series after halftime following another forgettable night from Paxton Lynch, with the Broncos trailing 27-14, and almost immediately, the orange faithful inside Broncos Stadium at Mile High discovered their new preseason crush.

Kelly’s first act in Denver: A five-play, 75-yard drive capped with a long touchdown toss to tight end Matt LaCosse. Then it

happened. A growing chant rained down from the stands: “KEL-LY, KEL-LY, KEL-LY!” The third-string quarterback jumped up and down with his teammates in the end zone.

“That was my first time in a game experience with Chad,” said LaCosse, a third-year tight end. “I thought he handled himself really well. He came to play. He’s worked extremely hard, is always the first one in and the last to leave. He’s fun to play with. He’s pretty funny out there, and he knows how to sling the pill.

“You just feel his energy. There’s no place he’d rather be than in that huddle. You feel that you love that. He had a great game tonight.”

Hold up. Before catching fullon Kelly fever, it’s time for a reality check — from the quarterback himself.

“I wanted to win this game,” Kelly said. “I don’t really care about all that (name chanting), man. Like I said, there are a lot of things we can get better at and a lot of good things that came from this game, too. It’s a learning experience.”

Kelly both dazzled and baffled. Facing third-and-11 inside the Vi- kings’ red zone, Kelly stared down the pass rush, kept his eyes downfield, and released a dart to tailback Phillip Lindsay streaking for a touchdown — just before Kelly got popped. However, just one series later, Kelly was intercepted misreading coverage and he said, “You’ve got to know exactly where your reads are.”

But Kelly’s full body of work — 14-of-21 passing for 177 yards, two touchdowns and one pick — renewed questions for coach Vance Joseph about whether Kelly will get his chance to run the secondteam offense as Lynch continues to struggle.

“We’ll see,” Joseph said. “We’ll watch the tape and see where we are. Obviously, Case 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.”

Joint practices against Chicago this week will peel back another layer of the quarterback competition. Kelly remains Denver’s longterm project. He hears your chants, Broncos Country. Kelly simply can’t afford to listen. Not yet.

“I have to keep my nose in the playbook,” Kelly said, “and keep studying.”