Vic Fangio Reveals he Never Did Consider Benching QB Drew Lock in Week 8

After the Denver Broncos punted on their opening possession of the second half in the team's Week 8 battle with the Los Angeles Chargers, Drew Lock had gone 43 possessions without a passing touchdown. While the Chargers had moved the chains 20 times while the Broncos had totaled more three-and-outs than first downs (two).

As the Broncos headed into the tunnel for what turned out to be an emotional and pivotal locker room scene, the most famous Denver insider advocated for head coach Vic Fangio to bench Lock and insert Brett Rypien if the beleaguered starting quarterback failed to move the needle with the first possession of the third quarter.

However, Fangio stuck with his young QB and in retrospect, it was the right decision, as Lock would help lead a 28-point second-half swing that would culminate in the Broncos emerging with a 31-30 victory.

On Monday, with the dust having settled, Fangio revealed that it never really was a decision to stick with Lock. The head coach never even considered sending him to the bench.

"No," Fangio said on Monday. "I was never in consideration—the thought never did cross my mind."

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While dynamic (but sparingly-used) running back Phillip Lindsay deserves a lot of credit for sparking the Broncos' momentous turnaround with his 55-yard touchdown scamper midway through the third quarter, Fangio sees the turning point of Week 8 as the third-down just two plays prior in which Lock had to deliver a strike to DaeSean Hamilton in an unfavorable down-and-distance scenario that picked up 18 yards and moved the chains.

"I thought one of the key plays in the game was the 3rd-&-8 conversion prior to Phillip's touchdown run—to DaeSean—and I think that's the play that got us going," Fangio said. "If we don't convert that and we punt, the whole tone of this conversation today would be probably different. It just takes one play. That was a big, big play. We had a big run there by Phillip and all of a sudden, we're back in the game. We've still got a lot of work to do but there's some light at the end of the tunnel."

That third-down play was a lynchpin to the Broncos' turning the ship around but that doesn't diminish the importance of Lindsay's dagger, striking the heart of the Chargers from 55 yards out that not only provided Denver with some "light at the end of the tunnel", as Coach Fangio put it, but narrowed the margin 24-10.

The Chargers would go on to score on two additional field-goal drives but the Broncos' defense played its best 'bend, don't break' performance, giving Lock and company the time and possessions to put three additional touchdowns on the board following Lindsay's long touchdown.

The unique complexion that each game takes on in the NFL is part of what makes it the king of pro sports. In the case of the Broncos' thrilling Week 8 win, it took a village, as well as some gritty play from a young, beleaguered quarterback who'd been booed off the field by his own fans at the half.

But the fans stuck around and the Broncos rewarded their support. The best NFL QBs are wizards on the field, and while Lock might still have a ways to go to be considered among that class of signal-callers, he definitely conjured up some good, ol' fashioned Mile High Magic. The rest, as they say, is history.

Whether you believe Fangio or not, the Broncos were right to stick with Lock. Games like these are how young NFL careers are forged and in what was just his 10th start as a pro, Lock turned in his signature win and earned back the cache within Broncos Country that he had lost temporarily.

It's a good reminder for fans to not get too manic when it comes to establishing expectations for a young QB. Lock might be in Year 2 but he's yet to play a full 16-game season and is still very much learning on the job.

There will continue to be growing pains but if Week 8 taught Broncos Country anything, it's that patience and long-suffering can pay off in a big, bad way. Lindsay said after the game that the Broncos' comeback win was a "milestone" for Lock.

I agree. The question now is, where does Lock's 2020 road map lead? The hope is to some better consistency and more wins for the Broncos but he and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur have to figure out how to extract the fourth-quarter version of Lock into a consistent product on the field.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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