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Drew Lock has perfect opportunity to prove he can be an NFL starter

Against the Las Vegas Raiders, Drew Lock will face a suspect defense and will have a chance to prove his doubters wrong.

NFL: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos made the right decision to start Teddy Bridgewater in 2021. Turnovers are way down and efficiency is up, which has helped the team to a 7-7 record. They have already topped their win total from 2020 with three games to play. However, Bridgewater’s second concussion means it will be Drew Lock in Week 16 against the hated Las Vegas Raiders and it is a perfect opportunity for Lock against a bad defense.

Defensively, the Raiders have given up a lot of ground against the run and are in the top ten in yards against and rushing touchdowns. Against the pass, they have been much better in a mixed bag kind of way. They were torched by Dak Prescott and Patrick Mahomes, but bottled up Daniel Jones, Joe Burrow, and Taylor Heinicke. Yet despite that, they have lose give of their last six and have given up 30 or more points in four of those games.

In short, this Raiders defense is soft. If Lock is to make his case to the NFL (not just the Broncos here), then he has the perfect team to do it against. A team that has a soft defense and is giving up a lot of points.

As important is this game is for Lock’s personal career in the NFL, a win also gets Denver back into the playoff conversation for one more week and that is definitely something we’re all hoping for as fans.

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