Drew Lock Audibles His Way to 23-20 Victory in Broncos Debut
It doesn't always go the way the coaches draw it up. Such was the case for the Denver Broncos in Week 13 — in more ways than one — starting a rookie quarterback. Drew Lock wasn't supposed to be the starter by this point in the season.
That was supposed to be Joe Flacco but the Football Gods willed it otherwise.
In Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Lock shook off some early-game jitters to lead the Broncos on an impressive 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive in the first quarter. What made the final play in that series so interesting was not only the one-armed, diving catch by Courtland Sutton, but also the fact that Lock changed the wideout's route in the huddle.
“You know what's crazy, Drew actually told me—I wasn't supposed to run that route," Sutton revealed from the podium following the game. "Drew told me to run it, which I was happy that he told me to do, because I'm not going to go off-schedule. But him telling me to do it, it was awesome, and it was cool to be able to get a touchdown from him and get us rolling, get his confidence going and get the momentum on our side.”
That's exactly what the poster-quality play did. It gave Lock and the Broncos the confidence and momentum that sustained them throughout the game.
“Amazing is not even a good word for how great of a catch that was," Lock said from his first post-game presser as the Broncos' starting QB. "He’s been making plays left and right for us and I think he is a top receiver in this league without a doubt.”
Lock finished his NFL debut 18-of-28 for 134 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Both scoring throws were caught by Sutton, who himself finished with four receptions for 74 yards to boot.
It was great to see the burgeoning Lock-to-Sutton connection bear the fruit that it did in the duo's first game together. Even on the offense's final play of the game, it paid dividends, as Lock heaved one deep up the right sideline that fell incomplete, but drew a pass interference flag that set Brandon McManus up for the game-winning 53-yard field goal on the ensuing play.
After each score and following even that huge pass interference, Lock's enthusiasm and passion were on full display, as he ran up and down the field and even around the stadium following the game, pumping his fists in celebration. Suffice to say, it had an effect on his teammates.
“That’s just who I am, that’s who I’m going to stay," Lock said. "I’m always going to be that guy. I think, why not have a lot of fun with it while you’re in it? You’re not in it forever so you might as well give it all you’ve got and have some fun with it. I’ll probably always be that guy.”
One of the coolest aspects to the Broncos' 23-20 victory over the Chargers was seeing how happy Lock's teammates were for him. His teammates in the locker room responded to his passion in kind, congratulating him for putting the first victory of his young career on the board.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
