Denver Bronco quarterback Drew Lock earned his first career win as the Broncos came out victorious over the Los Angeles Chargers 23-20 on a last second 53-yard field-goal from Brandon McManus.

Rookie 2nd-round pick Drew Lock made his highly anticipated debut finishing the contest 18-28 passing for 134 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Lock looked composed, confident and level-headed as he led multiple scoring drives and ultimately a Broncos victory.

Drew Lock came out firing early as he hit Courtland Sutton for one of his two touchdowns on a beautiful 26-yard scoring grab. Sutton caught the ball one-handed which gave the Broncos a early 7-0 lead. Lock and Sutton connected on the very next drive in the red-zone for another 6-yard touchdown. The Broncos came into the game 17th in red-zo͏ne scoring so it was good to see some execution from the Broncos offense with Lock delivering the football.

The Broncos didn’t light up the scoreboard or gain a ton of yardage moving the ball downfield. That’s only due to offensive coordinator Rich Scangerollo unwillingness to stay aggressive throughout the game. The offense went to a very conservative game-plan during the second half trying to protect their lead. During the first quarter, Rich Scangerello was aggressive allowing Lock to find a rhythm. Drew Lock inspired the Broncos to come out blazing-hot scoring more points in the first quarter than they have all season. If Rich Scangerollo allowed Lock to continue a more open, aggressive style of play during the second half, Lock would have certainly threw for over 200 yards and maybe another touchdown.

Although there is a room for improvement ahead for Lock, today should have gone a long way for confidence in the Bronco fan base as he looks to hold down the quarterback position for years to come. Lock showed flashes of greatness with his arm talent and leadership ability but also has noticeable flaws in his throwing mechanics. Lock still has footwork issues going through his progression in the pocket, and needs to throw the ball with more touch and accuracy on short-to-intermediate throws.

When Lock learns to set his feet and throw the ball through his hips and not off his back-foot, he will become a more accurate quarterback. These flaws are now on film and can be coached out of Lock. We knew it wouldn’t be perfect, but overall it was nice to see Lock show signs as a potential 10-15 year starter in Denver. Being the 6th quarterback for the Broncos since 2016, it was important for Lock to establish himself as a viable option going forward.

Since 2016, Trevor Siemian is the only Denver Bronco quarterback with a winning record at a pedestrian 13-11.

The Broncos have a looming top-10 selection in next year’s draft with multiple first-round talents available at the quarterback position. The Denver Bronco fan base is growing more and more inpatient with John Elway and his personnel decisions especially at the quarterback position. It was important for Lock to show promise to take some pressure off John Elway having to select another quarterback early in the draft.

Betting the Line – O/U –

The Broncos and Chargers barely hit the over at 43. The O/U line was set at 38.5 which was among the lowest of the weekend mainly due to the fact the Broncos have gone 21 straight games without scoring more than 24 points. Which is by far the longest streak in the NFL.

I believe the smarter choice is to choose the under in any over/under wager involving the Broncos but with the emergence of Drew Lock, the Broncos offense looked more electric and explosive.

Fellow DSB writer Ryan Knupell in his preview piece stated he would not hesitate on a -200 Drew Lock interception player prop bet due to a rookie mistake. With 11min remaining in the 4th quarter, Drew Lock made that rookie mistake with a interception from Denzel Perryman. It was smart to bank on Lock making a rookie mistake even after playing well.

The Broncos organization plan was to red-shirt Drew Lock this entire season but the injury to Joe Flacco derailed those plans which could be a blessing in disguise. With four games remaining we will get a decent sample size of Drew Lock’s skillset and abilities.

Will he eventually be the Broncos franchise quarterback? I don’t know for sure but I’m encouraged!