Broncos quarterback Trevor Siemian in boot with sprained left foot; Status up in air for Sunday

CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Wednesday's Broncos practice became notable for who was not there. Trevor Siemian missed the workout because of a sprained left foot. Siemian played the finest half of his career against the Kansas City Chiefs, rallying the Broncos to a 24-16 fourth quarter lead. He appeared on every snap, though he absorbed cringe-worthy punishment, specifically hurting his foot late in last Sunday's game.

Siemian is unsure when he specifically suffered the injury. It was painful Monday and showed swelling. Siemian wore a boot in the locker room Wednesday for the second consecutive day, but said he hopes to be out of it "soon." 

"Today was better than yesterday. We will see going forward," said Siemian, who dealt with knee and ankle injuries in college, but had no foot issues. 

The Chiefs sacked Siemian five times as the Broncos offensive line, specifically right tackle Ty Sambrailo, struggled. Siemian owns a 7-3 record as a starter. While his toughness draws praise from teammates, durability questions continue to linger. Siemian injured his right shoulder in the preseason, sprained his left shoulder on Oct. 2 at Tampa Bay and missed Wednesday with a foot ailment. It's not believed to be plantar fascia -- a painful sensation in the heel described as stepping on shards of glass -- that sidelined Peyton Manning for six games last season.

As with his shoulder injury in October, Siemian remains confident he can play without practicing. However, the Broncos want him to continue to make plays outside the pocket with his feet. He showed progress against the Chiefs with 23 yards rushing. If he's unable to move around, it could figure into the final decision on whether to rest him. Coach Gary Kubiak gave no timeline on Siemian's status, but the earliest any choice would be made is Friday. 

Kubiak said backup Paxton Lynch is "making good progress. He's doing good." 

Lynch told Denver7 he had no idea Siemian was hurt until the team returned on Monday. He said he is more comfortable with the offense than he was when he started and lost to Atlanta on Oct. 9. The former Memphis star hasn't played since. Going against Denver's defense in practice and becoming more accustomed with the play verbiage has helped.

"Those reps you get, you can't compare those reps to anything else because you are getting those against the best in the league," Lynch said Wednesday. "When I get those reps, I take them seriously and try to make the throws every time." 

VIDEO: #Broncos Siemian on foot injury. He's taking it day to day @DenverChannel pic.twitter.com/Qq9M9L7J0u

— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) November 30, 2016

The injury comes at an awful time for Siemian. 

Challenged to "play big" by Kubiak, Siemian connected on 20 of 34 passes for 368 yards with three touchdowns. Even more impressive, his 11 second-half completions netted 279 yards as he took chances down field. Lynch ran with the first team on Wednesday, moving veteran Austin Davis to second string.

"I feel like I am getting better everyday with the more practice I get with the offense and the receivers," Lynch said. "Not getting a lot of reps (with the first team) up until this point kind of affected my consistency, but throughout the season I felt like I have built on (practice)."

If Siemian brought concern, fullback Andy Janovich's health brought bad news.

Kubiak said Janovich had surgery on his ankle and will be out for the entire season. Janovich hurt his left ankle on the game's first snap, and played the entire game. An exam on Monday determined that an operation was required. Running back Juwan Thompson and tight end A.J. Derby are options at fullback.

"I hurt for him," Siemian said. "He's a big part of what we do."

Long snapper Casey Kreiter sat out as well, and left tackle Russell Okung and center Matt Paradis had scheduled rest days, something that will occur for the remainder of the season.