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Vic Fangio believes in Drew Lock, says Denver Broncos QB ‘has got it in him’ to turn things around

By George Stoia December 7, 2020 | updated 5 years ago

Barring injury or COVID issues, Broncos country won’t be seeing much of Brett Rypien in Denver’s final four games this season. 

Despite another up-and-down game by quarterback Drew Lock Sunday night against the Chiefs, coach Vic Fangio didn’t hesitate when asked Monday if Rypien, the backup quarterback, could start seeing more reps. 

“No,” Fangio asserted. “We haven’t discussed that.”

Lock was heavily criticized by fans and media last week after being ruled ineligible by the NFL as a high-risk COVID close contact for briefly not wearing his mask in a quarterbacks meeting. Lock also hasn’t been stellar in his second NFL season, ranking 25th in passing yards (1,918), 27th in passing touchdowns (nine), last in completion percentage (55.4%) and second in interceptions (13). He’s one of only four starting quarterbacks to throw more interceptions than touchdowns, joining New England’s Cam Newton, New York Jets’ Sam Darnold and New York Giants’ Daniel Jones. 

Broncos blog: Essang Bassey to miss season; Fangio talks fourth-down decision; defense lacking takeaways

Still, Fangio and the Broncos are confident Lock can be the future quarterback of the franchise. 

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“We’ve got to cut down on the interceptions, obviously,” Fangio said. “We just need to see the continued improved play and I think converting the third downs last night showed that a little bit. We had a good day in the red zone — that shows development in a quarterback. Just need to make good throws, good plays, good reads, run the offense from the start of the huddle to the line of scrimmage. We’re not always spot on right there and we need to be. I think Drew has got it in him and we’re going to keep working with him on that.”

Lock, 24, has only played in 14 games in his career, starting in the final five games last season and playing in nine this season. In many ways, the former 2019 second-round pick is still a rookie and has already had two offensive coordinators. 

Broncos defense slows Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs offense in 22-16 loss

Against the Chiefs, Lock showed promise at times, finding guys like wide receiver Tim Patrick and tight end Noah Fant and hitting them in stride for big gains. But other times, Lock looked like his normal self — throwing into tight windows and getting picked off. He finished 15 of 28 for 151 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. 

Lock, though, similar to his coach, believes he can still turn things around this season and in the future. And for the 4-8 Broncos’ sake, they hope he and Fangio are right. 

“Personally, I feel like I’m seeing it,” Lock said after the game. “So, I try to see it better and better each week. I know I’ve been seeing it, of course when you’re seeing it with your own eyes, but feeling the game — dealing with what these defenses are doing and how they’re trying to stop us. Definitely further along and feel better than I did a year ago coming here.”

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George Stoia

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