Happy Wednesday, Broncos Country.
In his first career NFL start Max Garcia shined for the Broncos, which led him to be nominated for the league's Pepsi Rookie of the Week.
He played all 79 offensive snaps against the New England Patriots and earned a +2.3 grade in run blocking per Pro Football Focus, one of the highest marks earned by a Broncos lineman in that regard this season. To quote former Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan, "Big time players make big plays in big games," and Garcia's performance against a strong Patriots defensive front has earned him the right to start at guard the rest of the season.
Drafted in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Garcia's versatility, strength at the point of attack and tenacity are one of the reasons the Broncos thought so highly of him. Throughout the course of the season, he has been rotated regularly in game action for veterans Evan Mathis and Louis Vasquez, who have been hampered by lingering injuries. In their stead, he has performed admirably, showing signs of greatness in run blocking and has been above-average in pass protection.
In a few games earlier in the year, Garcia was called for several false starts and holding penalties that stalled drives, but has become much more disciplined as the season has rolled on. His play has earned the respect of his teammates, who now call him "the future" here in Denver. There is no doubting that — he has Pro-Bowl potential and will be a key cog for the Broncos offensive line for years to come and in my opinion, has earned himself a starting position at one of the guard spots for the rest of the year.
As always, thanks for reading and here are today's Horse Tracks.
Horse Tracks:
Denver's poor pass protection has ended the quarterback debate | Mile High Sports
The Broncos are winning and coming off of a huge win, but with the quarterback debate still in full swing, the decision has already been made by default.
Three important questions the Denver Broncos still need to answer | Mile High Sports
It finally looks like the team is beginning to fall into place, but there are still several important questions the Denver Broncos need to answer
Power Rankings: The toughest QB-TE/WR matchups remaining for Denver | Mile High Sports
A big win over the Patriots is already in the rear-view mirror; now, we set our sights on the toughest personnel matchups remaining for Denver.
Broncos Are Reborn as One More Perfect Season Ends
Behind Brock Osweiler, Denver finds new life in knocking New England from the unbeaten ranks. Plus, a peek at the developing playoff picture, Adrian Peterson nears his third rushing title and more from Week 12.
Broncos mailbag: How did Brock do, really?
9NEWS Broncos Insider Mike Klis answers questions pulled from the Broncos Mailbag.
NFL: Another week, another fuss over flags
Denver Broncos safety T.J. Ward, one of the most-flagged and heavily fined players in the NFL this season, recently ripped the officials, suggesting the way to fix the league's spotty officiating is to give the men in stripes full-time jobs.
Broncos Mailbag: Is Emmanuel Sanders Denver's No. 1 receiver?
Denver Post NFL reporter Troy E. Renck responds to your questions in the Broncos Mailbag. In this installment, Troy tackles nine Q's, including one on if
Story of Denver Broncos QB Brock Osweiler one of patience, preparation
Brock Osweiler's ability to stay patient behind Peyton Manning and work hard to learn the Denver Broncos' offense are why he's currently excelling.
Max Garcia Helps Swing Broncos' Upset
Once already-ailing right guard Louis Vasquez left the game, the Evan Mathis-Max Garcia tandem helped turn around the Broncos rushing attack.
Josh McCown out for season with broken collarbone
Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown is out for the season because of a broken collarbone he suffered during Monday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Jerry Jones: Dallas Cowboys looking for QB to develop
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave the team an 'F' for its development of depth at the quarterback position.
Ben Roethlisberger remains in concussion protocol
Ben Roethlisberger is still undergoing concussion protocol, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback believes he'll play Sunday night against the Indianapolis Colts.
Sam Bradford (shoulder) returns to Eagles practice
Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford returned to practice on Tuesday after missing the past two games with a shoulder injury. Will he be ready to roll against the Patriots on Sunday?
Rob Gronkowski thinks he's being targeted by officials
Rob Gronkowski has been called for five offensive interference penalties this season. On Tuesday, the Patriots tight end used a one-word tweet to express his belief that officials are targeting him.
Thomas Davis responds to Panthers' critics
Despite an 11-0 record, Thomas Davis and the Carolina Panthers hear all the noise about them being overrated. Davis had a lot to say when asked about Carolina's critics on Tuesday.