Is the Denver Broncos’ young offense finally starting to click?

Is the young Denver Broncos offense starting to click?

Drew Lock entered the locker room at halftime to a roar of boos from the crowd at Empower Field at Mile High. In the second half, Lock silenced the critics and led the young Denver Broncos’ offense to a win.

So, the question has to be asked: is the Denver Broncos’ offense finally starting to click?

Drew Lock certainly thinks so.

“…maybe we’re just starting to click”, said Lock in his postgame interview (quotes via Broncos PR). Lock also said, “I think people love to make opinions, and jump to them quickly, and I hope that we can keep proving them wrong.”

Lock finished the game 26-of-41 passing for 248 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, per ESPN.

While Lock played well down the stretch, the rest of the young offense picked up the slack en route to a win. Here’s how the Broncos got their offense on track:

1. The Broncos’ offense solved their First Down Woes

In the first half of Sunday’s game, the Broncos’ offense ran ten first down plays. The Broncos lost seven yards on the combined total of their first down plays.

The Broncos’ offense sputtered in the first half, in large part due to their inability to generate any momentum on first down. Putting Lock and the Broncos’ offense behind the chains allowed for the Chargers’ pass-rush duo of  Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to tee off on Lock.

While Bosa and Ingram never sacked Lock, the two combined for three quarterback hits per ESPN and forced plenty of errant mistakes by Drew Lock.

The offense started slowly coming out of halftime, coming up empty on their first drive out of the break. Phillip Lindsay would ignite the Broncos offense with a 55-yard touchdown run to bring the Broncos to a 14 point deficit.

After Lindsay’s touchdown run, the Broncos averaged more than 8.5 yards-per-play on first down, over fifteen first down plays.

The ability to generate positive yardage on first down was a huge boost to the Broncos, who have struggled to put points up all season. This is only the second game in which the Denver Broncos have scored more than 30 points this season, and the first with Drew Lock at quarterback.

The Broncos will have to prove this is a turning point, not a fluke. Generating results on first down will be the key to a sustained offensive attack for the Denver Broncos.