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Fangio Addresses Whether Drew Lock Will be Broncos' Backup QB in Week 12
Brandon Allen wasn't great in Week 11. But he wasn't terrible either.
Whatever your opinion of Allen through two games is, no question, he has exceeded the Denver Broncos' expectations for him. The third-year signal-caller made his second career start on Sunday, this time on the road vs. the playoff-caliber Minnesota Vikings.
The Broncos came up short, squandering a 20-0 halftime lead and falling to the Vikings ultimately 27-23. Allen had a shot to change the outcome in the closing minutes, leading an 18-play drive that needed 60 yards but could only muster 56.
Allen got three shots at the end zone from the 4-yard line as the clock wound down. All three were incomplete, though not without some controversy. All in, Allen went 17-of-39 (43.5%) for 240 yards, with a touchdown and an interception.
He also chipped in 18 yards on three carries, one of which was a huge 11-yard gain on 4th-&-1 with 33 seconds left and trailing by four points. Allen showed the same aggressiveness we saw in his Week 9 debut, pushing the ball downfield to Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick and Noah Fant.
Overall, I'd say Allen acquitted himself well in his first career road start, playing in a loud and hostile environment. But there were times Allen's inexperience and lack of arm strength hurt the Broncos' offense, and the interception he threw at the end of the second quarter, which swung momentum Minnesota's way, was a good example of both.
The question on the minds of fans and media alike is, was it enough to forestall Drew Lock from getting on the field? Lock began practicing last week as he seeks to work his way off of injured reserve and onto the Broncos' 53-man roster.
Head coach Vic Fangio addressed the issue on Monday from Dove Valley.
“No, we’ll continue what we did last week, get him reps both on the scout team and get him some reps with the offense and see how he’s progressing,” Fangio said.
Lock is receiving snaps with the first-team offense, which is encouraging and points to the team's priority of eventually getting him on the field. However, when it came to the question of whether Lock could be ready and activated to be the backup in Week 12 vs. the Buffalo Bills, Fangio said it was "unlikely but possible".
In other words, barring Lock completely blowing the doors down, the Broncos are going to take their time within that three-week window the NFL allows teams to evaluate IR players. In all probability, Allen will get one more swing at the plate unfettered by the threat of Lock being suited up and available on the sidelines. Undrafted rookie Brett Rypien will likely continue to serve as the gameday backup this week.
If the Broncos go into Buffalo and flounder away another loss, the team brass might consider moving up their timetable on Lock and activate him in time to start at home in Week 13 vs. the L.A. Chargers. If Allen wins, or if the Broncos have a change of heart, circle Week 16, at home vs. the Detroit Lions, as the most plausible debut of the Lock era in Denver.
However, if indeed Lock ends up seeing the field in Week 13, that would give the Broncos a five-game sample size with which to evaluate the rookie second-rounder's wherewithal and potential of being the team's QB in 2020 and of the future. Only time will tell which route the Broncos go, but don't be surprised if Lock gets two games or less this year to show the team brass what he can do, which is hardly a definitive sample size.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
