Drew Lock muddies the waters with his sterling performance in Week 14
Dec 14, 2020, 6:34 AM
The crowd that is ready to move on from Drew Lock certainly had a case. Heading into the Broncos game against the Panthers in Week 14, the quarterback was statistically among the worst in the league. He had only thrown nine touchdowns, while tossing 13 interceptions, including at least one pick in seven consecutive games.
Lock also boasted one of the worst completion percentages in the league, connecting on less than six out of 10 throws, and was guiding one of the NFL’s worst offenses, as the Broncos were second only to the Jets when it came to an anemic point total. Seemingly, the second-year quarterback had regressed since his promising rookie campaign.
As a result, even the most-optimistic onlookers had to admit that Lock was playing for his job during Denver’s final four games of the season. If his downward spiral continued, the Broncos would almost assuredly look for an alternative, or at least some legitimate competition, during the upcoming offseason.
Then, Lock went out and turned in one of his best performances as a pro.
Playing behind a makeshift offensive line, the quarterback completed 21-of-27 passes, for 280 yards and four touchdowns against Carolina, leading his team to a 32-27 win. It was a dazzling performance, as Lock connected with eight different receivers as he peppered the Panthers defense with strike after strike.
It certainly didn’t look like that was going to be the case. Early on, the Broncos offense was sputtering again, failing to score an offensive point through the first 25-plus minutes of the game.
During that time, Lock was Captain Checkdown. He completed six of his first seven throws, but the quarterback had only amassed 40 yards through the air. It was dink-and-dunk, to put it mildly.
But then, late in the second quarter, something finally clicked. On a 12-play, 75-yard drive that culminated with a two-yard touchdown from Lock to Nick Vannett, the QB finally hit a big strike. With a 31-yard toss to Jerry Jeudy, on a play where the rookie wide receiver ran a textbook route and was wide open down the left sideline, the Broncos finally broke through.
The second half would be more of the same, as big plays became the norm for Denver. Lock hit K.J. Hamler for two touchdowns, one from 37 yards out and the other from 49. He also connected with Tim Patrick for a 31-yard completion and Troy Fumagalli for 29. It was more “big” plays than the Broncos normally chalk up in a month.
It begs the question, what changed? How did the normally low-scoring, can’t-get-out-their-own-way Denver offense finally start to click?
According to Lock, it was all about patience. Instead of forcing things early, the quarterback set up the chunk plays later in the game.
“If I just play my game and let it come to me, the big ones will come,” the second-year signal caller said after the game. “That’s the toughest thing to learn, for me at least. I don’t know about others, but that’s the toughest thing for me.”
There’s a key word in that response – learn. It’s the point that too many in Broncos Country fail to remember; Lock is still a very young player, a quarterback learning to excel at the NFL level.
Fortunately for him, he has some good mentors. During a trying season, they’ve helped keep his spirits up and provided him with sage advice.
“(Brett Rypien) tells it to me every single week. He goes, ‘Hey, you’re a special player. But do your job here these first couple quarters. Maybe in the third quarter, the big play needs to be there and you’re good enough to make the big play. Make it when it’s there,’” Lock said about his backup.
Rypien wasn’t the only one preaching patience.
“(Mike) Shula and (Pat) Shurmur were obviously stressing that to me throughout the week and we worked on it in practice,” Lock added, speaking about his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, respectively. “In my opinion, it’s just me starting to feel things and seeing it and knowing where to get the ball when it’s just not perfect.”
All of this dovetails into the advice the young quarterback has been receiving from a Hall of Famer since the day he was drafted. The Broncos general manager has been saying the same things from day one.
“He’s preached to me just doing your job and not trying to force anything,” Lock said about John Elway, the Broncos president of football operations. “Once you force it, those are the ones that you want back.”
The message has clearly gotten through. Since his four-interception performance during a Week 10 blowout loss to the Raiders, Lock has been steady, leading Denver to a 2-1 record during his three starts.
“It’s all about being calm and focused,” the quarterback added. “That’s when you make the right decisions, and I’ve been getting preached that quite a bit here these last couple weeks.”
Clearly, the message has gotten through. And it’s created a situation where the Broncos have a bit of a quarterback controversy on their hands.
Suddenly, there’s a debate about what direction the franchise should go in 2021. Is it another year with Lock? Or is it time to move on in the seemingly never-ending search for a franchise quarterback?
There are reasons to believe that Lock isn’t the right guy. Even after Sunday’s impressive performance, his numbers remain near the bottom of the league.
But there are also signs of hope. During his first 15 starts, the quarterback is 8-7, while throwing 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.
In the five seasons since Peyton Manning retired, that’s light years better than most of the other options the Broncos have trotted onto the field. Only Trevor Siemian is above .500 (13-11) and has a better touchdown-to-interception ratio (30-24).
Is Lock the long-term answer in Denver? It’s still too early to tell. But on Sunday, in a game that was wildly entertaining, the Broncos quarterback showed that he might just be the guy. In a lost season, that’s reason for celebration.
