As Profootballtalk.com's Charean Williams wrote, "It’s a small sample size, but the Broncos maybe, possibly, could have their franchise quarterback."
Williams went on to explain that rookie
Drew Lock looks the part after two career games.
The second-round choice has completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 443 yards with five touchdowns, two interceptions and a 111.4 passer rating. The Broncos are 2-0 in his starts, beating the Chargers and Texans.
“I thought he played great,” general manager John Elway said on Tuesday, via Nicki Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com. “I think obviously it’s OK to be excited about him, because I think he’s played very, very well his first two starts. He’s handled himself great. Obviously, he’s a young guy with two starts, but we couldn’t be happier with how he came out of the gate and know that there’s still going to be ups and downs. We’re going into Kansas City against a defense, and he’s going to see a lot more looks than he’s seen the first two weeks. But you know what, we’re excited about where he is. Plus, it’s nice to go on the road and get a real good win against a very good football team in the Houston Texans.”
Lock injured his wrist in a preseason game in August and spent the first 11 games on injured reserve.
He is the Broncos’ seventh starter since Peyton Manning retired, following
Brock Osweiler,
Paxton Lynch,
Trevor Siemian,
Case Keenum,
Joe Flacco and
Brandon Allen.
Lock completed 22 of 27 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns, adding 15 yards with his legs in a shocking upset at Houston on Sunday.
Though he tossed a pair of early touchdowns to
Courtland Sutton, Lock posted an ugly 4.8 yards per attempt in his NFL debut in Week 13, so Sunday's performance was a much-needed step in the right direction.
Denver heads to Kansas City on Sunday and, while Lock isn't yet safe enough to consider starting, the likes of Sutton,
Phillip Lindsay and perhaps
Noah Fant are viable fantasy options.
An injury forced Fant out of action in Week 14, but he was
able to get on the practice field Thursday leading to some hope about his availability.
But if he does play, there's plenty of value, as Fant has shown flashes of stardom this season, as was evidenced this past Sunday when he sailed north of 110 receiving yards with a touchdown. Should he be healthy enough to go, he's an upside tight end play.
One last note here. ... Arrowhead Stadium can be an intimidating place for visiting players, but Lock has some experience in the building.
Lock grew up a short drive from the Chiefs’ home building and attended games there as a young Chiefs fan. He also started and won a game there
while at the University of Missouri.
While the presence of loved ones and a return home means it’s “going to be different” than his first two starts, Lock said he’s trying to keep it simple.
“I think we’ll all make a little too much of it,” Lock said, via the team’s website. “It’s just another football game. I’ve got to prep like I did the first two weeks and just be ready to go.”
As Profootballtalk.com put it, "If all works out well for the Broncos, Lock will lead them to their first win over the Chiefs since September 2015. If all works out really well, this will be the first of many wins that Lock racks up as a Broncos quarterback in Kansas City."
