Broncos plan to play QB Drew Lock 'a lot' vs. Seahawks

Drew Lock's NFL debut last week vs. the Atlanta Falcons wasn't bad. But it certainly wasn't great.

The Denver Broncos' rookie second-round QB completed 7-of-11 passes, but they went for just a combined 34 yards (4.8 ypc). Lock misfired two deep shots, which had even one of them connected, it would have completely changed the complexion of his game performance.

He looked a little skittish at times, like the game was still moving too fast for him, and I don't think Lock expected to see as much man coverage as the Falcons threw at him. Live and learn.

Heading into the Broncos' second preseason game vs. Seattle, fans have wondered whether Lock would follow Joe Flacco out onto the field as the No. 2 QB, or whether it'll be Kevin Hogan. Head coach Vic Fangio answered that following Tuesday's practice.

“Joe is going to start and play some," Fangio said. "We’re going to bring in Kevin and he’ll play some. Drew will get a bit of that—a good bit of the rest of it—and [QB] Brett Rypien may or may not play in the game. I think it’ll be a little, a little and a lot.”

A little exposure for Flacco, a little for Hogan and a lot for Lock. Don't be surprised if Rypien doesn't get a single snap in this game.

Some fans overreacted to Lock's lackluster performance (again, it wasn't bad, just not great) in the preseason opener but it's way too soon to jump to any conclusions with the raw, but talented signal-caller. Fangio reminded everyone why patience is the virtue the Broncos are holding to with regard to Lock's development.

“One thing you got to remember about him, he hardly has ever been under center in his life," Fangio said on Tuesday. "He’s hardly ever had to call a play in his life—a formation and checks. Once he gets through that, I think the other stuff will come easier and quicker. He is learning a new offense, how an offense operates, and when he becomes more of quarterback in those regards and feels comfortable where it becomes second nature, the other stuff will start.”

The other stuff, meaning — the play-making. Once Lock gets the mental processing aspect down, he'll be able to show some poise, and good decision-making will follow that. From there, his phenomenal arm and athleticism will bridge the remaining gap.

It'll be interesting to see how Lock performs in just his second NFL preseason game. He might not be ready now, but as Fangio said earlier this week, that doesn't he won't be ready sooner than you think.

"He’s a rookie playing in a pro system that he didn’t play in in college and he’s not ready yet," Fangio said on Monday. "But that doesn’t mean he won’t be ready in two weeks from now, three weeks from now or four weeks from now. All these quarterbacks are different about how they adapt and become an NFL quarterback. He’s not there yet but that’s to be expected.”

The Broncos vs. Seahawks game kicks off on Thursday evening at 8 pm MST.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.