Fangio Addresses Drew Lock's Prospects for Playing in Long-Awaited Week 6 Bout at Patriots

The Denver Broncos were notified by the NFL on Sunday morning that Week 5 will serve as the team's bye and that instead of playing the New England Patriots on Monday, that game has been rescheduled for Week 6. If you're still wondering how the new schedule shakes out for Denver, read this article.

Regardless of one's view on the loss of a true bye week, there's no doubting that the Broncos do have a silver lining in this reschedule. Had the Broncos been faced with playing Monday evening at Foxborough, Drew Lock was questionable to play (and we all know how Vic Fangio errs on the side of 'questionable' designations), while tight end Noah Fant and starting rush linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu were ruled out.

That extra week virtually guarantees that Lock returns for the Patriots matchup and makes it much more likely that the Broncos will get back their star tight end. There's also a better chance that No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye will be activated off injured reserve.

As it relates to Lock, however, we learned from Fangio on Sunday morning that the Broncos had indeed prepared for the possibility that he might have been good to go on Monday night, as the team had given him a share of first-team reps during last week's practices. Although at this point, Fangio would be remiss to telegraph to New England that Lock will start next week, there's no reason to believe that he won't.

“I think he’s progressing well," Fangio said of Lock on Sunday. "I don’t think he would have played if we played tomorrow. Although, I think in some ways, he could have. The extra week will factor into that decision moving forward, but we’ll see. We didn’t give him many reps with the first-team offense this past week. We’ll see how he progresses in the next 72 hours and see how much better he gets and go from there."

What's next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Bill Belichick is smart enough to anticipate that it'll be Lock under center for Denver instead of Brett Rypien. But there's no way for the Patriots to know for sure, which means New England will have to at least prepare for both eventualities.

However, even though Rypien delivered the Broncos their first win of the season, fans should absolutely rejoice at the prospect of Lock returning to the starting lineup. This team received a boost from its first win over the New York Jets in Week 4 but it'll pale in comparison to the emotional spark Lock's return is sure to provide.

Remember, the Broncos sold out completely during the offseason to build the nest around Lock, cutting bait with Joe Flacco and investing fully into a Lock-centric infrastructure. It wasn't just that Lock helped lead what had been a 3-8 Broncos squad to a 4-1 finish, it was the impact he had on the field, combined with the influence he had on the locker room that made a believer out of GM John Elway, and likely Fangio, too.

"They believe in the coaching staff, they feel like the young guys that we have and the excitement that Drew has brought, that locker room is excited again," Elway said back on December 30, 2019. "I think that’s what gives you hope, and they have hope that they’re going to be able to be successful."

The Broncos, as a team and as a locker room, will enter any matchup with an opponent much more confident in their ability to win when Lock is in the lineup. Yes, things went off the rails for a moment there when Lock suffered that injury to his throwing shoulder a few plays into Week 2's loss at Pittsburgh, but this train could get right back on track — and in a hurry — with Lock back in the mix.

It's unfortunate that Lock will have to navigate this remaining schedule without No. 1 wideout Courtland Sutton but rookie first-rounder Jerry Jeudy is off to a historic start and Fant is a budding star. Meanwhile, Tim Patrick has blossomed in Sutton's stead while Phillip Lindsay will be rejoining the Broncos' backfield alongside Lock and Melvin Gordon.

With an upgrade at right tackle and Garett Bolles playing at a near-elite level, you'd be remiss to not be bullish on Lock's prospects in 2020. The Broncos can turn around their season, sitting at 1-3. All things are again possible when the starting quarterback returns to the lineup.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.