Denver Broncos: 3 players who need a strong finish to 2020.
The Denver Broncos are 4-7 after losing a home game to the New Orleans Saints in just about the weirdest game situations you will ever see.
In what has been pitched by some as an evaluation year, the Denver Broncos have had a tough time getting a good read on just about anything this season.
The team’s starting right tackle opted out of the season, and pretty much anyone with a pulse has taken snaps there in his place. The top players on the team offensively and defensively — Courtland Sutton and Von Miller — have been out for the majority of the year with injuries.
On top of that, the Denver Broncos had to deal with a short-term injury to quarterback Drew Lock, as well as numerous other injuries and COVID-19 protocols that have impacted the season substantially.
Even with all of that considered, there are five games left to evaluate and figure out what the Broncos are going to do in 2021 at key positions or with key pending free agents.
Which players need to step up big and finish strong over these final five weeks?
Let’s take a look.
1. Drew Lock, QB
There is no question that no player on the Denver Broncos’ roster is facing more pressure to perform well over the final five weeks of the season than quarterback Drew Lock.
It’s Drew-cember.
Last year at this time, Lock was cutting his teeth in the NFL. He helped lead the Broncos to a 4-1 record down the stretch of the 2019 season and inspired hope in a large portion of the fan base that the team had found its franchise guy.
In the first seven games Lock has played in 2020, more questions have popped up about his future with the team, at least for some.
While Lock’s numbers and overall play have been hurt by dropped passes and a combination of factors, he’s also made some bad mistakes with the football and has, at times, appeared to have regressed from the positive trajectory he was on at the end of last season.
Lock has not consistently seen the field as well as everyone had hoped, which has many in Broncos Country calling for a new quarterback. John Elway has not publicly shared the skepticism and has even stated recently his excitement for Lock, but there is no doubt that Lock has to prove over the final five weeks of the season that he’s more likely to push the Broncos down the field than get a three-and-out or a turnover.
After missing the Broncos’ home game against the Saints due to mask-wearing negligence at the team facility (as determined by the NFL), Lock will return for a prime time matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
It’s safe to say that, at this point, two of Lock’s worst performances in the NFL have come against his hometown Chiefs.
Something’s got to give, and he has to figure out a way to prove to the front office that he is an asset worth building around going forward.