The Broncos’ first first down at Oakland on Sunday night was long overdue and came at a cost.

Early in the second quarter, with the pocket collapsing around him, Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian threw a deep pass to receiver Demaryius Thomas on the left sideline, releasing the ball just in time to get walloped by Reggie Nelson on a safety blitz. The spiral sailed 23 yards before landing in the arms of Thomas.

Siemian never saw the completion. He lay on the ground after landing on his already sore left shoulder.

Four plays later, he connected with Jordan Norwood for a 36-yard touchdown pass, then repeated a similar cycle in the third quarter: Two plays after taking his first sack of the night, Siemian evaded the rush and found Emmanuel Sanders for an 18-yard pass and a first down.

Big hit. Big throw. Rinse and repeat. Siemian played through the pain against Oakland, taking two sacks and five hits in the loss while throwing for 283 yards and two touchdowns and getting picked off once.

Both he and Broncos coach Gary Kubiak say the pain remains, but it’s “part of the deal” at Week 10 in the NFL.

“He’s sore. He needs this break we got coming next week,” Kubiak said, referring to a bye week that will follow Sunday’s game at New Orleans. “He’s pushed through it. Obviously a good break will help, too. But he’s OK.”

Siemian practiced fully Wednesday in preparation for Sunday’s game. He said he believes his shoulder is improving, despite the hard hits he has taken.

“I feel like I’m getting better,” he said. “I’m not the only one playing with a few dings. It’s just part of the deal.”

A sore quarterback in his first year as a regular may not be the most pressing issue for the Broncos’ offense, but it’s one of many for a team that has struggled to move the ball in recent weeks. The Broncos’ offensive struggles were magnified Sunday with only 33 yards rushing on 12 carries.

The offensive line was out of sync and porous — again.

The running game was all but nonexistent — again.

The passing game was inefficient to start and inconsistent throughout. Again.

“You can’t argue with the couple big plays (Siemian) makes,” offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said. “Like everybody else, the other 10 that are on the field, it’s a consistency issue. That’ll come with experience. We just need it to happen fast.”

For Siemian, who was selected as the team’s second offensive team captain alongside Thomas last weekend, the defeat offered another chance for self-evaluation. The offense will probably need to be sharper to have a chance against New Orleans (4-4), which is averaging 30.3 points per game, second best in the league.

Improvement is needed across the board, and Siemian, sore or not, is not exempt.

“Playing quarterback — any position in the NFL — there’s a lot of pressure,” he said. “But that’s kind of the deal, and you embrace it.

“(Saints quarterback) Drew Brees is a heck of a player, and he’s going to find a way to score a ton of points. So, not thinking too much on the other side — we know we have a good group over there — but it’s our job to hold up our end of the bargain and score some points and hold onto the ball.”