Drew Lock faces great opportunity, challenge with Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have expectations this season.
Nobody sees them as a Super Bowl contender. However, there’s a reasonable belief they should reach the postseason. Especially with the NFL expanding the playoff format to include seven teams per conference. Last year, Denver finished 7-9 but won four of its last five games. This came when rookie quarterback Drew Lock was inserted into the lineup.
Want $250 to bet on NFL futures?
The former second-round pick injected life into a franchise which has been looking for an answer under center since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015 season. In his five starts, Lock completed 64.1 percent of his throws for 1,020 yards (on 6.5 yards per attempt). As well as that, he had seven touchdowns against three interceptions.
It’s a small sample size, but those numbers extrapolated across a full season come out to 3,264 yards, 22 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Â However, with some experience on his side and new weapons in receiver Jerry Jeudy and running back Melvin Gordon, those statistics should increase a bit.
The question is how much? If the Broncos are going to even sniff the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West, Lock will need to dramatically improve, and quickly. Kansas City is not only the defending champion but has the best quarterback in football with Patrick Mahomes, and returns 20 of 22 starters. Bluntly, it would be a stretch to see the Broncos fighting for the division crown.
Read: Rams Wideout Cooper Kupp Talks About Changing His Jersey Number
Yet a wild card spot is definitely in play. Denver has enough talent on both sides of the ball to be formidable, provided Lock can step to the fore. The aforementioned numbers aren’t awful, but they’re also consistent with a game-manager, far more Tyrod Taylor than Mahomes.
Having not made the playoffs in each of the past four campaigns — and suffering through with losing seasons in the last three — there’s an inherit amount of pressure on Lock. Most pundits agree the roster is solid, even if there are holes on the offensive line and at linebacker. The Broncos haven’t gone through such a dry spell since their formative days in the 1960s. As a result, the fans aren’t used to waiting around for success.
While there is great opportunity for Lock, there’s also a burden. He can’t afford a slow start, especially with the Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the first three opponents on the slate.
Lock and the Denver Broncos were a fun story to close out the 2019 season. This year, there’s no fun without the playoffs.
