Vic Fangio Critiques Offense After Broncos' Chargers Loss: 'We can't Find a Rhythm, Consistency'
The Denver Broncos have officially been eliminated from playoff contention on the heels of the team's 34-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Quarterback Drew Lock got his second start of the season and finished with back-to-back games of modestly efficient football.
Lock didn't turn the ball over and actually finished with a higher quarterback rating than Chargers QB Justin Herbert. It was a gritty performance from Denver's third-year signal-caller as he suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first half that saw him miss one series before entering the contest.
After the game, a flabbergasted and flagellated Vic Fangio addressed the media and was asked to critique Lock's day at the office.
"He hurt his shoulder a little bit," Fangio said in L.A. "Once he came back, they said he'd be fine... I thought he had some good throws, made some good reads. But, again, we just can't seem to find a rhythm and a consistency in our offense to keep drives sustained, make first downs, and eventually get touchdowns."
This was easily Fangio's most flowery compliment of Lock this season though it was punctuated in an underhanded way. True, Lock played solidly but he didn't save his best play for Denver's critical situations — third downs, fourth downs, and red zone.
On Sunday, Shurmur's offense went 3-of-13 on third down, 1-of-4 on fourth down, 2-of-4 in the red zone, totaling 319 yards from scrimmage. The coach's play-calling was heavily criticized as highlighted by his botched 'Philly Special' on a fourth-down goal-line decision.
As for Lock, the young QB did make some nice throws on Sunday and hinted at the potential for explosiveness the Broncos' young offense has — if in the hands of the right coordinator. If anything, Fangio's review of Lock revealed in a Freudian way that Pat Shurmur most certainly is not that right guy for the job.
Fangio made his bed when he made the decision to fire Rich Scangarello following the 2019 season in order to hire Shurmur, who'd just been fired as head coach of the New York Giants after two failed seasons. For whatever Scangarello may have lacked in Xs and Os/play-calling experience, he made up for in his development of Lock.
Scangarello's unceremonious dismissal is likely to be viewed in retrospect as the pivotal fork in the road that eventually cooked Fangio's goose as Broncos head coach. The Broncos have one last game — a homestand vs. the Kansas City Chiefs — but there's little doubt that GM George Paton will ultimately pull the plug on the Fangio era in Denver.
"We still got another game to play and we're going to get ready," Fangio said in response to the Broncos' playoff elimination. "Hopefully, [we'll] have a normal week of practice, and put our best foot forward and compete, and try to win that game."
As for Lock, it's a safe bet to wager that he'll get the start in the Broncos' season finale against his childhood team, the Chiefs. How cool would it be for him to end a disappointing third year with a victory over Kansas City and exorcise that particular demon, both for himself and the Broncos, and end this team's 12-game losing streak to its division rival?
All in, Lock finished Week 17's loss 18-of-25 (72%) for 245 yards and a touchdown, while chipping in 10 rushing yards on three carries. His QB rating was 116.2, one of the best of his young career.
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