After the Denver Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers, the big story revolved around Drew Lock getting a win in his first start. The Broncos’ rookie finally got on the field, and he did not disappoint Broncos Country.
Broncos Country has been clamoring for an answer at the QB position. Even still, the excitement around Lock’s start felt a little muted. As I told Ian St. Clair on the MHR Radio Podcast, I wanted to be excited, but I didn’t want to get too high, or too low. Lock was a rookie starting in his first NFL game. Better to keep expectations low.
The big takeaway, however, was that Drew Lock looked like he belonged on that football field. The game was far from perfect. All the screens called by offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello were enough to drive anyone batty. Lock threw a bad interception after staring down Tim Patrick.
But it never seemed to affect the rookie QB. He never looked like the moment was too big for him. He seemed to be comfortable in his role as the starting QB for an NFL team. He showed poise and confidence throughout. It was refreshing, and it’s hard not to get excited about what the future could hold.
It’s not like 18/28 for 134 yards with 2 touchdowns and one interception is a great line, but Lock passed the eye test with flying colors. He also passed the confidence test. On his first career TD pass he told Courtland Sutton to run a different route than what was called, which resulted in an incredible one handed catch in the end zone.
As career firsts go, that’s a huge moment for Lock. And it is a huge statement about the kind of player he can become. He has all the physical talents. His arm strength was there. He’s mobile. He seems strong in the pocket. The confidence he showed in changing that play shows his comfort in being the leader of this team.
He was able to back it up with his second TD pass to Sutton after the DreMont Jones intercepted Philip Rivers, giving the Broncos offense a short field. Lock showed poise, and arm talent with his quick pass to the back of the end zone. He stepped up, and rifled the ball to exactly where it needed to be.
We didn’t learn a whole lot from the Broncos win over the Chargers. The excitement around Drew Lock’s performance is tempered some by the recent QB history in Broncos Country. However, in his first game in the NFL Lock looked he belonged.