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Championships change everything. When the Broncos won 50 in February 2016, that gave a window to walk away, his legacy secure. That catapulted . That made Broncos general manager the envy of MVPs after their playing days are over.

The title also took away one more piece of motivation for Broncos coach to continue grinding聽away at an all-consuming job. Winning a Super Bowl makes you a champion. A second title is gravy. Kubiak told his players Sunday he will resign. An official announcement is expected Monday.

But during a season-ending 24-6 victory Sunday over the playoff-bound Oakland Raiders, Kubiak punted on a looming quarterback battle, setting aside the future to win one final game in a lost season, one last victory in what is probably the coach’s final game with the Broncos.

“It’s going to be a heck of a battle between those kids next year,” Kubiak said.

Siemian went the distance, throwing for 206 yards and two touchdowns as Denver finished 9-7, a sixth consecutive winning season. But he did not settle any debates. Questions about the future of their quarterbacks will only intensify for the Broncos and their next head coach.

Kubiak said last week, with reservations, that he would like to split time between Siemian and Lynch against Oakland. Siemian deserved one more start, Kubiak said, and聽Lynch would get some seasoning. But Lynch never played, even after the Broncos built a commanding lead and held it for most of the second half against a Raiders team using its third-string quarterback.

“That’s on me,” Kubiak said after the game. “I planned on playing them both. I told them at halftime that Trevor would keep going. And we’ll go from there.”

Early in the game, the Broncos solved some of the offensive problems that vexed them since November. A 1-4 stretch through Christmas knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs, as Denver’s running attack disappeared and Siemian struggled to get first downs, let alone many points.

In the first half Sunday, the Broncos’ ground game suddenly resurfaced. Rookie Devontae Booker scored on an 11-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 84-yard drive. It was Denver’s first rushing touchdown on an opening drive this season.

And Justin Forsett, the veteran running back who was cut by two teams this season, broke a 64-yard run up the middle in the second quarter. It was Denver’s longest run of the season. He gained more yards on that play than the Broncos did rushing in total last week at Kansas City (63). It led to 聽‘ 22-yard field goal and a 10-0 Denver lead.

A personal pick of Kubiak’s in the seventh round out of Northwestern in 2015, Siemian was a third-stringer last season behind Manning and . Kubiak made him the starting quarterback this season for his steady presence during training camp, beating out Lynch and veteran .

“I owe him a lot,” Siemian said of Kubiak. “I had no business being drafted. No business really being around. He got me in the door and gave me a chance to play. I have to push on.”

Against Oakland, Siemian was 12-for-17 for 150 yards and a 117.3 passer rating in just the first two quarters 鈥� his best first half this season. His 43-yard scoring pass to Booker led to a 17-0 lead at intermission. And in the second half, Siemian threw a 2-yard touchdown pass to tight end that gave Denver a 24-0 lead. The Broncos scored more touchdowns Sunday then they did in all of December.

“With a聽seventh-round pick, when we came out of camp, let’s face it, people thought our quarterback would be a lot of guys,” Kubiak said. “They didn’t think it would be Trevor. But he had his team right there (in playoff contention) four or five weeks ago.”

But Siemian never secured the team’s confidence enough to propel him into next season. Last week, when the Broncos were eliminated from playoff contention in an inept loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Siemian looked rattled. And, late in the third quarter Sunday, with Denver up 24-6, Siemian threw deep over the middle to , into triple coverage. The pass was intercepted by Brynden Trawick.

Lynch, a first-round pick of Elway’s last spring, might still be the Broncos’ future quarterback. But his time will wait.

“I had this talk with Trevor and Paxton last night,” Kubiak said. “How competitive their situation is going to be. They’re both very good, young players. But it’s about wanting to be great. They need to show this football team that.”

With a coach on his way out and a quarterback battle spilling into the offseason, the Broncos are at a crossroads.

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