SIEMIAN LABORS THROUGH HIS WORST PERFORMANCE OF THE SEASON

In the instant before his surgically repaired left shoulder was crunched against the cold turf Sunday night, nearly everything else had already gone wrong for Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian.

From a three-and-out on his first drive to a fumble he was fortunate to recover, to the body blows he absorbed on a chilly night at Sports Authority Field, there was nothing about Siemian’s game that resembled his performances that paced Denver to back-to-back wins to open the season.

That fast start to the season had given the Broncos hope their third-year quarterback had turned a major corner. It was a stretch that seems long ago after Siemian failed to ignite the Broncos’ offense for the third time in three games.

“When you have three turnovers, it’s hard to say he played well,” Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. “But turnovers are always tied to the quarterback.” Siemian agreed.

“The turnovers are the story of the game for us,” he said. “I thought the intensity was fine. We hurt ourselves. You’re already playing a good team. You can’t play against yourself as well.”

The low point came as Siemian telegraphed a pass to receiver Bennie Fowler that was easily snared by Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins. At the end of Jenkins’ 43-yard pick-six path to the end zone, Siemian’s futile attempt at a tackle could do nothing to stop the avalanche during one of the worst games of his young career.

Siemian rolled on the grass in pain as the Giants celebrated a lead that grew to 17-3 on the play near the end of the first half.

The Denver quarterback spent the last drive of the first half in the locker room after injuring his shoulder, giving way for one series to backup Brock Osweiler. Siemian returned in the second half, but nothing changed.

Siemian finished 29-of-50 for 376 yards. Much of the yardage, the highest total of the season for Siemian, amounted to empty gains through the air as the Broncos chased a three-score deficit with time winding down.

The pain on his face, both after he injured the shoulder and following each of the four sacks he absorbed, painted a better story of the quarterback’s nightmare night.

On his first drive, Siemian’s third-down pass to Demaryius Thomas sailed off the mark. On the Broncos’ next series, Siemian had the ball poked out of his hands by New York pass-rusher Jason Pierre-Paul. Siemian recovered the ball as it bounced back toward his hands, but the Broncos punted again.

An offense that had a bye week to work out the kinks after slogging through back-to-back 16point performances was stuck in quicksand.

Somehow, things only got worse. Early in the second quarter, Siemian forced a pass down the right sideline for Thomas — Denver’s lone offensive bright spot Sunday — who was blanketed by safety Landon Collins, and the promising drive ended.

“It’s the NFL, you have to come out and execute,” said receiver Fowler.

The Broncos somehow had appeared to weather it all late in the second quarter. After a sluggish start, the Broncos’ defense seemed to right the ship, and Denver trailed just 10-3 and faced a second-and-10 at its own 38-yard line with 1:06 left until halftime. The score as it stood would have the Broncos in position to take a deep breath and restore order in the second half.

Then, as Siemian stared down Fowler, Jenkins lingered just behind the receiver. He jumped the route and sprinted toward the end zone.

When tight end Jeff Heuerman snared a 13-yard touchdown pass from Siemian late in the fourth quarter, nearly half of the fans in attendance had already headed toward the exits.

They had seen enough.