It's not just about stopping Patrick Mahomes anymore.

Drew Lock is eight starts into his NFL career, and there is only one logical assessment of his play to date and what it means for his future: The jury is still out -- and it could be deliberating for a while.

They're learning how to win.

This game — assuming that it takes place Sunday at Gillette Stadium - is more valuable being played now rather than later because Drew Lock is expected to be in the lineup.

For the moment, the Broncos' revised plans for Week 6 remain without further change. Despite the reports of a positive COVID-19 test on the Patriots' roster, the Broncos' weekend in New England is on, with the team's Saturday plans to fly northeast unaffected.

Drew Lock had a full practice workload Wednesday. He threw with zip and vigor. When viewed from a distance, he showed no signs of discomfort.

The problem is that there is only so much improvisation and adjustment that can be done before it begins exacting a toll on the legitimacy of a season.

Since Vic Fangio took over as the Broncos' head coach, his defense has been missing something in which his units usually excel.

When practice opened Wednesday, camera lenses and the eyes of reporters zeroed in on Drew Lock. Meanwhile, Brett Rypien went about his work. It's all he can do.

One of the last people you want to see on the field when you've called a run is Broncos nose tackle Mike Purcell.

Late Thursday night, with rain falling on an empty MetLife Stadium and the Broncos once again teetering on the edge of losing a winnable game, the Broncos and Bradley Chubb decided they’d had enough.

First, expect to see more combinations involving Shelby Harris and Mike Purcell in pass-rush situations. After all, they're the only two players left from the D-line's active complement from the first two games.

The Broncos looked like the team that has the NFL’s fifth-worst record since the start of the 2017 season: out-matched, out-fought and out-thought.

History is on the line for the Broncos on Sunday, since a win will likely clinch a winning record for them against Tom Brady-led teams. Take a look back at the Broncos' history against TB12.

"Terrible with a capital 'T.'"

"It wasn't that I didn't want to stay in Denver," Barrett said. "I feel like my last two years there, I felt as though that there was a zero percent chance to start."

In high school just over a decade ago, one year, 5.6 miles and a world of attention separated Driskel and Bortles.

Jeff Driskel-to-Noah Fant needs to be the combination at the heart of the Broncos' attack for the next few weeks.

Yeah, it looks grim in the moment. But there are a few burning embers that can become brilliant flames.