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3 Takeaways From Broncos' 32-27 Win Over Panthers

The Broncos beat the Panthers with an offensive explosion. What did we learn?
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The emotional roller-coaster that was the Denver Broncos' Week 14 matchup with the Carolina Panthers gave all of Broncos Country high blood pressure and a victory to celebrate. 

The Broncos escaped Carolina with a 32-27 road win and there were three scorching takeaways from this team's victory after back-to-back losses.

Lock Shows Growth, Maturity

When you look at the box score stats of Drew Lock, his surging numbers jump off the page. Against the Panthers, Lock went 21-of-27 for 280 yards (77.7%) for a career-high four touchdowns. But it was Lock’s maturity and decision-making that shocked and awed me. 

Instead of constantly gambling on first-read throws, the second-year signal-caller settled into check-down routes to his tight ends, a position group that had career day themselves sans Noah Fant for most of the game. Lock also made sure to distribute the football to eight different receivers including rookie wideout KJ Hamler who had a career-high two receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns. 

While I was quick to criticize Lock for turning over the football on a sack-fumble in the red zone, he never let the mistake haunt him. Instead, he enjoyed a day of smiling and having fun on the sideline with his teammates thanks to his production, which exemplifies emotional maturity in contrast to his infamous solo dancing from earlier in the season.

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Pass Rush & Coverage Complement Each Other

Before the game even started, Denver was behind the eight-ball with its dearth of defensive backs. Duke Dawson was the latest Broncos' DB to go down after a scary right knee injury forced him out of the game in Carolina. That meant Will Parks, who wore Hall-of-Famer Safety Steve Atwater’s No. 27 jersey, played in between boundary corners Michael Ojemudia and De'Vante Bausby. 

But it was Denver’s pass rush that aided the beleaguered secondary more than anything. Vic Fangio’s defense recorded a total of four sacks from Jeremiah Attaochu, Dre’Mont Jones, DeMarcus Walker, and even Parks, on a designed blitz. Bradley Chubb, and Shelby Harris also wreaked havoc in the pass rush which made Panthers' QB Teddy Bridgewater uncomfortable and anxious for most of the game. 

Certainly, getting defensive coordinator Ed Donatell back after missing six games due to a scary bout with COVID-19 lit a spark for Denver’s pass rush.

Special Teams has a Pulse

The box score will highlight a disastrous day for kicker Brandon McManus for missing two extra points on the day but it came as a shock to the entire NFL that Diontae Spencer scored on an 83-yard punt return to the house early in the first quarter. Better late than never as the touchdown was the first punt return score by for the Broncos since 2015. 

But in typical 2020 fashion, Spencer was also subject to a bizarre snafu when Carolina kicker Joey Slye sneaked a rolling squib/onside kick to Spencer that forced him to take the ball out on a 5-yard return that backed up Denver’s offense close their own end zone in the clutch. While many have called for the job of special teams coordinator Tom McMahon, he’s undoubtedly safe after Sunday's road win. 

Follow Luke on Twitter @LukePattersonLP and @MileHighHuddle.