The Denver Broncos were able to finally end the walk off curse as they were helped out by a penalty to secure the season sweep of the Los Angeles Chargers.
For Drew Lock’s first NFL start, it was not easy going for the Denver Broncos as they blew another lead in the fourth quarter. The only question was Denver finally going to respond after so many games of heartbreaks in the dying seconds?
Well, if not for Drew Lock, Vic Fangio, Casey Hayward, and Brandon McManus, Denver would likely be at least heading into overtime. Denver had a 17-3 lead right before halftime until Philip Rivers was able to complete a pass to Austin Ekeler to put them within seven at the half.
The Denver Broncos offense, led by Rich Scangarello, went conservative in the third quarter. That allowed the Chargers to score the tying touchdown in the fourth. Denver was able to get a field goal to bring the lead to three.
After the Chargers tied it again, the Broncos had a few seconds. So, it became decision time. Go for the win or take it to overtime. Well, the later nearly happened if not for Vic Fangio (and this is what I believe, so don’t take my word for it) making a huge gutsy call to have his rookie quarterback take at least one throw.
For his first NFL start, Drew Lock was not all that bad. His only true mistake was throwing an interception after the Chargers tied the game. Luckily, the Chargers missed a long field goal after that interception. No harm no foul.
The only thing that I would change about that game is enough with the third quarter or big lead play calling. Because it is the reason teams are sticking around.
So, the potential franchise quarterback got his first NFL win. Can he carry that momentum against a tough Houston Texans team? We will find out next week.