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It took about 38 minutes of game time, two hours into the night, before Denver fans started booing Trevor Siemian. The Broncos’ newest starting quarterback walked into a rude NFL welcome Thursday.

Even Peyton Manning, a likely hall of famer, was booed by Broncos fans last season. And he eventually won the Super Bowl. But in their first game since that championship run, the first since Manning retired, only seven months later, the Broncos struggled to find a lane for Siemian to cruise.

And Denver fans booed. Just like they booed Jake Plummer and Brian Griese and Jay Cutler and Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow and every passer since John Elway. It’s a rite of passage.

In the end, Siemian, in his first career start, went from jeered to cheered. He shook off a rough first half and threw for 178 yards on 18-of-26 passing to outduel Carolina’s Cam Newton in the Broncos’ come-from-behind 21-20 victory at Sports Authority Field at Mile High.

“We knew we’d have our hands full,” Siemian said. “And it would come down to the wire against these guys. That’s how a lot of games in the NFL work out.”

Siemian’s welcome to the club came in the third quarter Thursday, with the Broncos trailing Carolina 17-7. His pass on second down to C.J. Anderson went for a 5-yard loss. His pass on third-and-14 to Virgil Green gained only 5 yards. And as the punt team trotted out, Siemian walked off to boos.

He had already thrown two interceptions, one in each quarter, and the Broncos were stalled. The difference between Siemian and Carolina’s Newton seemed stark in the first half. Newton threw for 111 yards and a touchdown through two quarters and was the Panthers’ leading rusher, with 36 more.

But Broncos coach Gary Kubiak gave Siemian the starting job for one reason more than any other.

“We just have to continue to find our leaders on this team, and the guys that are going to step up when things get hard,” Kubiak said last month. Nearly every Broncos player asked about Siemian said the same thing: he’s calm and collected, even in rough waters.

So when Siemian crouched under center late in the third quarter, the Broncos trailing by 10, but seemingly with no shot, he coolly took over. He brought the Broncos back on two long drives in the fourth quarter, one of eight plays that ended on a 25-yard screen pass to Anderson and another of 10 plays that included a fourth-down conversion from Carolina’s 2-yard line and a 1-yard Anderson touchdown run.

“I trust the kid,” Kubiak said Thursday. “I was trying to get him in a rhythm. Let the kid know I have confidence in him. The only way you get better as a player is for your coach to trust you and put you in those situations.”

By the time Siemian jogged out from the sideline late in the game, with the Broncos clutching to a one-point lead, Denver fans stayed silent, trained in the ways of Manning demanding quiet play-calls. Siemian held on to the ball too long and took a 10-yard sack on third down.

“It’s definitely different when you’re on the field, but we played in a lot of big games last year,” Siemian said. “I tried to simulate that as much as I could. But, no doubt, it’s different when you get out there.”

But the Denver defense, as it did so often last season, held down a better offense in Carolina, stumping them on a game-deciding final possession. Newton led the Panthers into field-goal range, finishing with 194 yards on 18-of-33 passing. But Carolina kicker, Graham Gano, missed a 50-yarder with 9 seconds remaining.

The Broncos last season won 11 games by less than a touchdown. Siemian, like Manning before him, just needed to survive.