Kirby Dach circled at center ice Friday as a chorus of boos echoed through the United Center.

He skated toward Arvid Soderblom, with the game on his stick as the Canadiens’ third shootout taker, through the boos. He scored on Soderblom — lifting the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks — through the boos. And he cupped his hand around his ear, staring daggers into the crowd, through the boos.

It was an ending that felt written in the stars.

In just a few months with Montreal, Dach has suddenly grown into the up-and-coming star the Hawks abruptly decided last summer that he’d probably never become. And he proved Friday how much he has changed. After three years of not fully capitalizing on most of his opportunities in Chicago, Dach confidently and thoroughly capitalized on this opportunity.

“I was excited,” Dach said. “Anytime you get to come back to a place you used to play and put on a show like that, it’s pretty good.

“I don’t think that’s ever changed, the confidence I’ve had in my game or anything like that. [I have the] same work ethic and same mentality. But at the same time, it does put a chip on your shoulder. You want to go out there and put your best foot forward and prove to people that you are who you are.”

Dach didn’t officially record a point Friday but still touts 17 in 21 games — a 66-point full-season pace — with the Canadiens this season. He tallied just 59 points in 152 total games for the Hawks — a 32-pace pace.

His analytics are also impressive. His expected-goals ratio at five-on-five sits at 51.6%; with the Hawks, it was 47.3%, 38.8% and 45.6% in his three seasons, respectively.

One tangible change is he’s now playing wing rather than center — on the Canadiens’ first line, no less, alongside fellow young stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. He said it hasn’t required any major adjustments, but it has decreased the impact of his faceoff woes while seemingly unlocking far more offensive upside.

“He has all the tools,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “He thinks the game pretty well, he’s got size, he sees the ice, he wins battles, he’s got a strong stick and [he uses] his stick defensively. He’s putting it all together here through the first quarter of the season.”

“I’m not surprised to see the success he’s having. He has fit in quite well with not just the players he’s playing with, but [also] the brand that we’re trying to play here. He has been a great addition.”

The funny thing is almost all those attributes were evident during Dach’s Hawks tenure, too. He just never put it all together. But perhaps that due to inexperience, youth, pressure or misuse rather than inability.

“There’s no way, with that much talent at [age] 21, that you’re ready to give up on anybody,” St. Louis added postgame.

The lingering question now, and for the foreseeable future, will be as such: Would Dach have experienced such a fourth-year breakout if the Hawks had kept him?

The answer will never be conclusively determined — and the future career path of prospect forward Frank Nazar, whom the Hawks chose with the 13th overall pick they received in the trade, will affect how hotly the topic is debated. But there are believable arguments both ways.

On one hand, Dach’s self-confidence and attitude were evidently wavering last year, to the point he might’ve truly needed a change of scenery to refresh himself. On the other hand, maybe this was always coming and the Hawks were simply too impatient.

The Canadiens and Dach himself don’t — and won’t — need to dedicate a single brain to that hypothetical, though.

Initially projected to be a bottom-of-the-standings lottery contender alongside the Hawks and Coyotes, they improved to a 11-9-1 with their win Friday. Their surprising success has been fueled by breakout or revival seasons from a number of integral players: Suzuki, Flames castoff Sean Monahan, undrafted defenseman Arber Xhekaj, backup goalie Sam Montembeault and — arguably headlining the list — Dach.

“Montreal, they wanted me to be there,” Dach said. “That’s a blessing as a player, when you’re wanted. [I’m] just focused on Montreal and haven’t really thought…too much about not being wanted here [in Chicago].”

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Kirby Dach circled at center ice Friday as a chorus of boos echoed through the United Center.

He skated toward Arvid Soderblom, with the game on his stick as the Canadiens’ third shootout taker, through the boos. He scored on Soderblom — lifting the Canadiens to a 3-2 win over the Blackhawks — through the boos. And he cupped his hand around his ear, staring daggers into the crowd, through the boos.

It was an ending that felt written in the stars.

In just a few months with Montreal, Dach has suddenly grown into the up-and-coming star the Hawks abruptly decided last summer that he’d probably never become. And he proved Friday how much he has changed. After three years of not fully capitalizing on most of his opportunities in Chicago, Dach confidently and thoroughly capitalized on this opportunity.

“I was excited,” Dach said. “Anytime you get to come back to a place you used to play and put on a show like that, it’s pretty good.

“I don’t think that’s ever changed, the confidence I’ve had in my game or anything like that. [I have the] same work ethic and same mentality. But at the same time, it does put a chip on your shoulder. You want to go out there and put your best foot forward and prove to people that you are who you are.”

Dach didn’t officially record a point Friday but still touts 17 in 21 games — a 66-point full-season pace — with the Canadiens this season. He tallied just 59 points in 152 total games for the Hawks — a 32-pace pace.

His analytics are also impressive. His expected-goals ratio at five-on-five sits at 51.6%; with the Hawks, it was 47.3%, 38.8% and 45.6% in his three seasons, respectively.

One tangible change is he’s now playing wing rather than center — on the Canadiens’ first line, no less, alongside fellow young stars Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. He said it hasn’t required any major adjustments, but it has decreased the impact of his faceoff woes while seemingly unlocking far more offensive upside.

“He has all the tools,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “He thinks the game pretty well, he’s got size, he sees the ice, he wins battles, he’s got a strong stick and [he uses] his stick defensively. He’s putting it all together here through the first quarter of the season.”

“I’m not surprised to see the success he’s having. He has fit in quite well with not just the players he’s playing with, but [also] the brand that we’re trying to play here. He has been a great addition.”

The funny thing is almost all those attributes were evident during Dach’s Hawks tenure, too. He just never put it all together. But perhaps that due to inexperience, youth, pressure or misuse rather than inability.

“There’s no way, with that much talent at [age] 21, that you’re ready to give up on anybody,” St. Louis added postgame.

The lingering question now, and for the foreseeable future, will be as such: Would Dach have experienced such a fourth-year breakout if the Hawks had kept him?

The answer will never be conclusively determined — and the future career path of prospect forward Frank Nazar, whom the Hawks chose with the 13th overall pick they received in the trade, will affect how hotly the topic is debated. But there are believable arguments both ways.

On one hand, Dach’s self-confidence and attitude were evidently wavering last year, to the point he might’ve truly needed a change of scenery to refresh himself. On the other hand, maybe this was always coming and the Hawks were simply too impatient.

The Canadiens and Dach himself don’t — and won’t — need to dedicate a single brain to that hypothetical, though.

Initially projected to be a bottom-of-the-standings lottery contender alongside the Hawks and Coyotes, they improved to a 11-9-1 with their win Friday. Their surprising success has been fueled by breakout or revival seasons from a number of integral players: Suzuki, Flames castoff Sean Monahan, undrafted defenseman Arber Xhekaj, backup goalie Sam Montembeault and — arguably headlining the list — Dach.

“Montreal, they wanted me to be there,” Dach said. “That’s a blessing as a player, when you’re wanted. [I’m] just focused on Montreal and haven’t really thought…too much about not being wanted here [in Chicago].”

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Luke Richardson’s success as a Canadiens assistant the last four years directly helped him earn this job as Blackhawks head coach.

On the other hand, he was passed over last spring for the Canadiens’ own head coaching job, with Martin St. Louis instead assuming the duties after Dominique Ducharme was fired. He was passed over in 2021, too, when Ducharme replaced Claude Julien.

So naturally, Friday’s matchup carried some extra meaning for Richardson. But he tried his best all week to downplay its significance.

“I enjoyed my time [in Montreal],” he said Monday. “It’s a great passionate city, much like [Chicago], with great sports fans. There’s a lot of history there. I was fortunate enough to be there when we got to the Stanley Cup Final, and it was an honor to do that. But it’s now in the past. It’s a good memory, but they’re just another team we want to beat.”

As much as Richardson might’ve wanted it, that wish didn’t come true. Kirby Dach’s third-round shootout winner lifted the Canadiens to a 3-2 win and dealt the Hawks their sixth straight loss (and 12th in their last 14 games).

The Hawks outshot the Canadiens 32-23, the largest margin by which they’ve outshot any opponent this season, but conceded quite a few breakaways and odd-man rushes in between. Goalie Arvid Soderblom was stellar, particularly with his quick glove hand, while limiting the damage from those breakdowns.

Taylor Raddysh scored a power-play goal to tie the game with just under four minutes remaining, and the Hawks later killed off a Canadiens’ overtime power play, but their efforts were ultimately unrewarded.

“We had a little trouble with our energy level,” Richardson said. “I liked the ‘try,’ but it just didn’t look like we had the legs there. Maybe [it was] a little bit of the games catching up to us.”

Richardson and St. Louis have remained friends despite their career divergence and surely will beyond Friday, too.

St. Louis said they brainstormed together, during the summer, how to build their new teams’ training-camp schedules. Richardson praised St. Louis’ willingness to give his players freedom to be “active and creative.”

Lafferty sidelined

Sam Lafferty didn’t play Friday due to an upper-body injury he suffered Wednesday against the Stars. He could miss a “couple games,” Richardson said, but the Hawks don’t believe it’ll be a long-term issue.

The break could actually be helpful for Lafferty, who has been somewhat invisible in recent weeks. He was mired in a 10-game pointless streak during which he’d dropped into the fourth-line center role and tallied only nine total shots on goal.

Other than two excellent performances in the Hawks’ third and fourth games of the season (against the Sharks and Red Wings), Lafferty has been generally much quieter this year after thoroughly impressing the Hawks during the second half of last year. That spring surge, when he seemed to generate at least one semi-breakaway per game, earned him a two-year contract extension that kicked in this season.

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Luke Richardson’s success as a Canadiens assistant the last four years directly helped him earn this job as Blackhawks head coach.

On the other hand, he was passed over last spring for the Canadiens’ own head coaching job, with Martin St. Louis instead assuming the duties after Dominique Ducharme was fired. He was passed over in 2021, too, when Ducharme replaced Claude Julien.

So naturally, Friday’s matchup carried some extra meaning for Richardson. But he tried his best all week to downplay its significance.

“I enjoyed my time [in Montreal],” he said Monday. “It’s a great passionate city, much like [Chicago], with great sports fans. There’s a lot of history there. I was fortunate enough to be there when we got to the Stanley Cup Final, and it was an honor to do that. But it’s now in the past. It’s a good memory, but they’re just another team we want to beat.”

As much as Richardson might’ve wanted it, that wish didn’t come true. Kirby Dach’s third-round shootout winner lifted the Canadiens to a 3-2 win and dealt the Hawks their sixth straight loss (and 12th in their last 14 games).

The Hawks outshot the Canadiens 32-23, the largest margin by which they’ve outshot any opponent this season, but conceded quite a few breakaways and odd-man rushes in between. Goalie Arvid Soderblom was stellar, particularly with his quick glove hand, while limiting the damage from those breakdowns.

Taylor Raddysh scored a power-play goal to tie the game with just under four minutes remaining, and the Hawks later killed off a Canadiens’ overtime power play, but their efforts were ultimately unrewarded.

“We had a little trouble with our energy level,” Richardson said. “I liked the ‘try,’ but it just didn’t look like we had the legs there. Maybe [it was] a little bit of the games catching up to us.”

Richardson and St. Louis have remained friends despite their career divergence and surely will beyond Friday, too.

St. Louis said they brainstormed together, during the summer, how to build their new teams’ training-camp schedules. Richardson praised St. Louis’ willingness to give his players freedom to be “active and creative.”

Lafferty sidelined

Sam Lafferty didn’t play Friday due to an upper-body injury he suffered Wednesday against the Stars. He could miss a “couple games,” Richardson said, but the Hawks don’t believe it’ll be a long-term issue.

The break could actually be helpful for Lafferty, who has been somewhat invisible in recent weeks. He was mired in a 10-game pointless streak during which he’d dropped into the fourth-line center role and tallied only nine total shots on goal.

Other than two excellent performances in the Hawks’ third and fourth games of the season (against the Sharks and Red Wings), Lafferty has been generally much quieter this year after thoroughly impressing the Hawks during the second half of last year. That spring surge, when he seemed to generate at least one semi-breakaway per game, earned him a two-year contract extension that kicked in this season.

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Brandon Feiter likes the United States, soccer and a crisp German beer.

The West Side resident showed up two hours early at his regular haunt on Friday to make sure he could enjoy all three.

“I’m holding down the fort,” he said, nursing a lager while texting his friends who were outside, waiting to get in.

The 30-year-old was among about 200 people packed inside Cleos, 1935 W. Chicago Ave., to watch the U.S. play England in the men’s World Cup.

“They were supposed to get here ages ago,” he said, looking at the line outside.

Though the game ended 0-0, Cleos definitely came out on top.

The West Town spot established itself as a soccer bar years ago, and will draw some fans on weekend mornings to watch English Premier League matches. But the World Cup has meant wall-to-wall crowds since the games kicked off in Qatar.

“For us, this is incredible. There’s nothing like it,” said bar manager Kevin Grish.

By late Friday afternoon, Grish estimated the bar was on its way to doing about 500% its usual business for the day after Thanksgiving — and the crowd reached maximum capacity for the fourth time this World Cup.

Among the new faces on hand was Mark Richardson, 39, who came from Lincoln Square at around 10 a.m., hoping to have a seat for a U.S. victory.

“I want be able to lord this over all my British friends,” he said.

Englishman Geoff Hiron, 43, and American Lennon Murphy, 31, showed up an hour before kickoff, thinking that would be plenty early to get inside the bar. But they ended up outside, waiting in line, and eventually had to go somewhere else to find a seat.

Before they left, though, Murphy made sure to sarcastically remind his British friend of his pre-game bragging.

“What, this could be the worst beat down by the British since burning the White House in 1812?” Murphy taunted.

“Absolutely,” Hiron replied.

Inside, some fans sported USA jerseys and scarves, standing all game and growing hoarse as their team pressed England hard in the second half.

Longtime Cleos regular and lifetime Brit Chris Broadbent, 49, sat unperturbed at the bar, where he had been since 9 a.m.

“If it’s one person supporting the USA, if it’s 60 people, I’ll still stand up on my stool and make a big E for England,” said the Leicester native, who moved to Chicago almost two decades ago.

As England missed an opportunity in the final minutes of the game, the Portage Park resident held his face in his hands, then nodded in approval at the crowd around him.

“As someone that’s been here since the start, what I’m really happy about is just being here with all the other people having a great football experience,” he said.

“First-timer, old-timer, British, American, whatever your reason is, you’re included.”

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.

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Brandon Feiter likes the United States, soccer and a crisp German beer.

The West Side resident showed up two hours early at his regular haunt on Friday to make sure he could enjoy all three.

“I’m holding down the fort,” he said, nursing a lager while texting his friends who were outside, waiting to get in.

The 30-year-old was among about 200 people packed inside Cleos, 1935 W. Chicago Ave., to watch the U.S. play England in the men’s World Cup.

“They were supposed to get here ages ago,” he said, looking at the line outside.

Though the game ended 0-0, Cleos definitely came out on top.

The West Town spot established itself as a soccer bar years ago, and will draw some fans on weekend mornings to watch English Premier League matches. But the World Cup has meant wall-to-wall crowds since the games kicked off in Qatar.

“For us, this is incredible. There’s nothing like it,” said bar manager Kevin Grish.

By late Friday afternoon, Grish estimated the bar was on its way to doing about 500% its usual business for the day after Thanksgiving — and the crowd reached maximum capacity for the fourth time this World Cup.

Among the new faces on hand was Mark Richardson, 39, who came from Lincoln Square at around 10 a.m., hoping to have a seat for a U.S. victory.

“I want be able to lord this over all my British friends,” he said.

Englishman Geoff Hiron, 43, and American Lennon Murphy, 31, showed up an hour before kickoff, thinking that would be plenty early to get inside the bar. But they ended up outside, waiting in line, and eventually had to go somewhere else to find a seat.

Before they left, though, Murphy made sure to sarcastically remind his British friend of his pre-game bragging.

“What, this could be the worst beat down by the British since burning the White House in 1812?” Murphy taunted.

“Absolutely,” Hiron replied.

Inside, some fans sported USA jerseys and scarves, standing all game and growing hoarse as their team pressed England hard in the second half.

Longtime Cleos regular and lifetime Brit Chris Broadbent, 49, sat unperturbed at the bar, where he had been since 9 a.m.

“If it’s one person supporting the USA, if it’s 60 people, I’ll still stand up on my stool and make a big E for England,” said the Leicester native, who moved to Chicago almost two decades ago.

As England missed an opportunity in the final minutes of the game, the Portage Park resident held his face in his hands, then nodded in approval at the crowd around him.

“As someone that’s been here since the start, what I’m really happy about is just being here with all the other people having a great football experience,” he said.

“First-timer, old-timer, British, American, whatever your reason is, you’re included.”

Michael Loria is a staff reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times via Report for America, a not-for-profit journalism program that aims to bolster the paper’s coverage of communities on the South and West sides.

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Other than quarterback Justin Fields, the last players the Bears want to miss time are rookie defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker — their prized second-round picks.

Both will miss the Jets game Sunday because of concussions they suffered last week against the Falcons. They’ve started every game and been on the field for more than 96% of the defensive plays.

That means a defense that’s struggling to keep opponents under 30 points each game is going without two of its best players. The Bears have allowed a league-worst 117.7 passer rating over the last four weeks.

Brisker, a safety, has been one of the best rookies in the NFL, leads the team with three sacks and is third with 73 tackles behind former linebacker Roquan Smith and fellow safety Eddie Jackson. He also has an interception and a fumble recovery.

The NFL’s concussion spotter took Brisker out of the game twice against the Falcons, though he played all but two snaps.

The Bears likely will start seven-year veteran DeAndre Houston-Carson in his spot. He is predominantly a special teams player and has gotten just 32 snaps on defense this season. It has been over a year since his last start.

Gordon got off to a rough start at cornerback, but has been better lately. The Bears will rely as much as possible on Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor, and Jaylon Jones is next in line. Jones is an undrafted rookie, but has played extensively on defense in several games this season.

O-line decision

Right guard Teven Jenkins didn’t play against the Falcons because of a hip injury, but was a full participant in practice all week and is good to go for Sunday.

That doesn’t mean he’ll start, or even play.

The Bears were relatively pleased with veteran Michael Schofield the last two games and could stick with him. Coach Matt Eberflus said if Jenkins had been healthier last week, the Bears probably would’ve played both guys, so that’s a possibility this week as well.

If the Bears stay with the same group, it’ll be their first starting offensive line to last more than two consecutive games. They’ve had seven lineups in 11 games.

Claypool time?

The Bears haven’t shown much urgency in getting new wide receiver Chase Claypool involved. He has yet to play more than 42% of the snaps in a game since arriving from the Steelers in a trade last month.

When he has been on the field, he hasn’t been a factor. Claypool was excited about the change in part because he figured he’d get a bigger opportunity with the Bears, but he has gotten just 11 targets and caught five passes for 32 yards.

He averaged 6.3 targets per game with the Steelers over the first eight games and averaged 6.9 over the 2020 and ’21 seasons.

Wilson won’t dress

Not only did the Jets bench second-year quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the draft last year, they don’t plan to have him active Sunday. Coach Robert Saleh said Mike White will start, and 15-year veteran Joe Flacco will be his backup.

White has never faced the Bears. They last saw Flacco in 2019 when he was with the Broncos and threw for 292 yards with a touchdown and interception to put the Bears on the brink before Eddy Pineiro’s 53-yard field goal rescued them as time ran out.

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Other than quarterback Justin Fields, the last players the Bears want to miss time are rookie defensive backs Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker — their prized second-round picks.

Both will miss the Jets game Sunday because of concussions they suffered last week against the Falcons. They’ve started every game and been on the field for more than 96% of the defensive plays.

That means a defense that’s struggling to keep opponents under 30 points each game is going without two of its best players. The Bears have allowed a league-worst 117.7 passer rating over the last four weeks.

Brisker, a safety, has been one of the best rookies in the NFL, leads the team with three sacks and is third with 73 tackles behind former linebacker Roquan Smith and fellow safety Eddie Jackson. He also has an interception and a fumble recovery.

The NFL’s concussion spotter took Brisker out of the game twice against the Falcons, though he played all but two snaps.

The Bears likely will start seven-year veteran DeAndre Houston-Carson in his spot. He is predominantly a special teams player and has gotten just 32 snaps on defense this season. It has been over a year since his last start.

Gordon got off to a rough start at cornerback, but has been better lately. The Bears will rely as much as possible on Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor, and Jaylon Jones is next in line. Jones is an undrafted rookie, but has played extensively on defense in several games this season.

O-line decision

Right guard Teven Jenkins didn’t play against the Falcons because of a hip injury, but was a full participant in practice all week and is good to go for Sunday.

That doesn’t mean he’ll start, or even play.

The Bears were relatively pleased with veteran Michael Schofield the last two games and could stick with him. Coach Matt Eberflus said if Jenkins had been healthier last week, the Bears probably would’ve played both guys, so that’s a possibility this week as well.

If the Bears stay with the same group, it’ll be their first starting offensive line to last more than two consecutive games. They’ve had seven lineups in 11 games.

Claypool time?

The Bears haven’t shown much urgency in getting new wide receiver Chase Claypool involved. He has yet to play more than 42% of the snaps in a game since arriving from the Steelers in a trade last month.

When he has been on the field, he hasn’t been a factor. Claypool was excited about the change in part because he figured he’d get a bigger opportunity with the Bears, but he has gotten just 11 targets and caught five passes for 32 yards.

He averaged 6.3 targets per game with the Steelers over the first eight games and averaged 6.9 over the 2020 and ’21 seasons.

Wilson won’t dress

Not only did the Jets bench second-year quarterback Zach Wilson, the No. 2 pick in the draft last year, they don’t plan to have him active Sunday. Coach Robert Saleh said Mike White will start, and 15-year veteran Joe Flacco will be his backup.

White has never faced the Bears. They last saw Flacco in 2019 when he was with the Broncos and threw for 292 yards with a touchdown and interception to put the Bears on the brink before Eddy Pineiro’s 53-yard field goal rescued them as time ran out.

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Every time Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been knocked to the ground this season, Trevor Siemian has had the same thought: is this the one?

That’s the life of a backup quarterback. He’s always one brutal hit away from sprinting onto the field.

“Every time the starter gets hit or gets to the ground you keep an eye on him an extra second longer than everybody else,” Siemian said Friday. “That’s part of it. But Justin is a tough dude too. As I watch him, I have that in the back of my mind. You’re monitoring the starter every play.”

Or, this week, in every practice snap.

Fields, who separated his left shoulder and suffered partial ligament damage when he was tackled along the sideline with about two minutes to play in Sunday’s loss to the Falcons, was limited for the third-straight practice Friday. The Bears are calling him questionable and doing all they can to make his starter status as blurry as they can.

Being named the starter for the Jets game “would be news to me,” Siemian said.

The Northwestern alum — who started one game for the Jets in 2019 — has thrown one pass for the Bears this season, in a blowout. Amazingly, Fields has yet to miss a snap because of injury, even running once and throwing a pass — albeit an interception — after he hurt his shoulder.

“Every week you’re ready to go,” Siemian said. “You anticipate to play every week, truly. That’s how you have to prepare to stay in it. It could happen the first snap. It could happen on Play 62. You just gotta be ready to roll whenever your number’s called.”

If it is called, the Bears playbook figures to look different. Siemian joked that he’d been studying “some old Wing-T film,” while receiver Chase Claypool tried to maintain, with a smirk, that he’s just as dangerous a runner as the NFL’s leading quarterback runner.

“We call him Trev the Blur,” he said, jokingly.

In reality, a Siemian start would mean a more traditional offensive approach than the scheme that has tried a league-low 229 passes. Siemian, though, doesn’t work often with the team’s first-team receivers. Fields gets almost all the starter reps during a healthy week.

“That’s how it is for a backup quarterback, and that’s kind of the understanding when you come in,” he said. “You’re the 2 –you got to be ready to play whether you get all the reps or none. The expectation is to play and play well.”

Chemistry with the receivers is “as good as it can be” for a backup, Siemian said. When he’s not taking snaps, he knows what to look for.

“That’s part of my job too, is staying back and watching guys run routes, reading their body languages, looking at coverages, staying engaged in the meetings,” he said. “I feel good where that’s at.”

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Siemian’s experience gives the Bears confidence. He’s started 29 career games — and come off the bench during the game only five times. All but six of his starts came with the Broncos from 2016-07. Siemian replaced Peyton Manning as the Broncos’ starter after the Hall of Famer retired in March 2017.

Siemian went 0-4 as the Saints’ starter last year, but won two games in which he came off the bench to play considerable snaps. On the season he completed 108 of 188 passes for 1,154 yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He had a 88.4 passer rating.

Siemian — who has dealt with a separated left shoulder twice in his career, calling it “uncomfortable” with a wince — won’t be intimidated by the moment, if he needs to play. Head coach Matt Eberflus praised his performance in quarterback meetings all season, citing his “great functional intelligence to be able to operate the offense.”

Whatever it looks like.

“I’m here — I gotta be capable of doing some of [the rushing ] stuff … ” Siemian said. “If I gotta play, I’ll be ready.”

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