Broncos Defeat Chargers 23-20, Drew Lock Wins His Debut

The Broncos defeated the Chargers in Denver on Sunday 23-20 to improve their record to 4-8. It was the debut of rookie QB Drew Lock, and he was a winner in his first game. It was a game that the Broncos almost blew once again late in the game, but they pulled it out and won on a last second field goal by Brandon McManus. Here are my thoughts and observations on the game….

1)    Lock was solid in his first game. He finished 18-28 for 134 yards 2 TDs and 1 INT. It was encouraging and his first touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton was a great throw. I like the other aspects of Lock as the starter. He has moxie and the “It” factor. It is going to be fun to watch him play the rest of the season. I’m looking forward to it.

2)    This game played out like a lot of the losses the Broncos had this season. They were up 14-0 on the heels of two Lock TD passes to Sutton. They were up 17-3, and then of course the Chargers got back into the game. A late score right before the half made it 17-10. The offense got too conservative after the first quarter. It almost cost them the game.

3)    The ending of this game was wild. After Keenan Allen scored to tie it up at 17 early the 4^th quarter, the Broncos took the lead with a Brandon McManus field goal with over four minutes to go in the game. The Chargers tied it up when they hit a 4^th and 11 prayer from Philip Rivers to Mike Williams into Denver territory. They kicked a field goal to tie it at 20 with only 14 seconds left in the game. It looked like the Broncos were going to blow another one.

4)    Vic Fangio decided to not just take a knee, but he wanted to throw it deep and take a shot with Courtland Sutton. The strategy worked because they drew a 37 yard pass interference call and gave Denver a shot at a game-winning field goal. It definitely was a legitimate pass interference. McManus nailed the 53 yard field goal and the Broncos won the game 23-20.

a5) The Broncos are now 4-4 in their last eight games and 4-8 overall after that terrible 0-4 start. Denver heads to Houston on Sunday to take on the Texans, and although they are steep underdog, it will be fun to watch how Drew Lock plays in his first road game. Finally, it is Drew Lock's time in Denver, and it has made this final stretch a must watch.