Fangio on Whether Broncos Will Give QB Brett Rypien a Chance to Start Down the Stretch: 'No'

Vic Fangio was asked if the Broncos were going to give backup QB Brett Rypien a chance to start over Drew Lock in the team's four remaining games.

On the heels of the Denver Broncos' 22-16 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, many fans and some local media have hit the panic button on quarterback Drew Lock and have seen all they want to from the second-year pro. This, despite Lock playing well enough to have the Broncos in position to potentially beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead and notch a victory against their divisional arch-rival for the first time since 2015. 

Lock was part of the reason the Broncos were competitive in Kansas City but he was also complicit in coming up short. It takes four full quarters. 

On Monday, in the aftermath of Denver's stinging loss to Kansas City, head coach Vic Fangio was asked point-blank whether the Broncos would give backup QB Brett Rypien an opportunity to start at any point in the team's remaining four games. 

“No. We haven't discussed that," Fangio said. 

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Rypien, a 2019 college free agent out of Boise State, was the Broncos' third-string quarterback to open this season. After Lock went down with an injury to his throwing shoulder in Week 2, the Broncos turned to Jeff Driskel, the 'veteran' the team signed to be No. 2 QB. 

Alas, despite an encouraging performance vs. Pittsburgh in relief of Lock, Driskel reversed course and played so terribly the following week vs. Tampa Bay that Fangio benched him. Rypien received the final series vs. the Buccaneers and started the next week on the road vs. the New York Jets. 

Rypien notched the Broncos' first win of the season but was far from anything to write home about. He went 19-of-31 for 242 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. 

Lock came back in Week 6 and the Broncos haven't turned from him, with the exception of Week 12 in which the NFL disqualified Lock, Rypien, and Blake Bortles from eligibility after the trio's mask-wearing indiscretion that exposed them (potentially) to the COVID-19-infected Driskel. 

Meanwhile, Lock has been inconsistent since returning from his shoulder injury. But he has won three games, all of which came against stiff odds. 

In Kansas City, Lock got his third start all-time vs. the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football and for the first time, it wasn't in a blizzard. After throwing an interception on the Broncos' opening drive, which the defense bailed him out of, forcing the Chiefs to punt on the ensuing possession, Lock's play steadied at Arrowhead. 

In key situations, like on third down and in the red zone, Lock showed clear progress as a QB. But at other times, he was inconsistent with his footwork, accuracy, and in reading the Chiefs' coverage. His interception to close out the game punctuated his body of work appropriately; one step forward, and maybe in this case, one step back. 

Still, the Broncos went 7-of-13 (54%) on third down and a perfect 2-for-2 in the red zone, both of which were touchdown passes by Lock. Those areas of the Broncos' offensive production on Sunday night were the proof in the pudding fans and media had been searching to find relative to Lock showing development this year. 

Fangio provided the proper perspective on Lock's status as a starter. 

“We've got to cut down on the interceptions, obviously," Fangio said on Monday. "We just need to see the continued improved play and I think converting the third downs last night showed that a little bit. We had a good day in the red zone—that shows development in a quarterback... I think Drew has got it in him and we're going to keep working with him on that.”

For those pining for another glimpse at Rypien under center this year, as Coach Fangio stated emphatically, don't get your hopes up. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.