Broncos Roundtable: Will Drew Lock ruin the Raiders' playoff dreams?

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos have two incredible opportunities on their hands on Sunday afternoon in the Mile High City. And no, finishing 7-9 isn’t one of them.

With a win in their season finale against the Raiders, the Broncos can knock their archrival out of the playoffs and finish 4-1 under Drew Lock.

What a Sunday it could be in Broncos Country.

Will the rookie quarterback pull off the win and ride into the offseason with incredible momentum for 2020?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.

IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN ON SUNDAY TO CHANGE YOUR OPINION ON DREW LOCK?

Ryan

Hard no — Without this game, we have a four-game sample size for Drew Lock, and the mean of that sample tells us that Drew Lock is an above-average rookie quarterback. Even if  Lock were to have a disaster of a game on Sunday, which seems highly unlikely, I would be far more confident in what we learned during those four games, that I would be worried about what happened in just one.

Lock is the guy going into next year, no matter what happens in this game. That’s how I see it, and that’s how I believe the front office sees it.

Zac

NOPE — Drew Lock is the Broncos’ starting quarterback for 2020 no matter what happens on Sunday. Lose by 20 and throw four picks? He’s still the guy. But don’t worry, the game won’t go that way.

Since the Senior Bowl in January, I’ve been sold on Lock. And everything he’s done since has only reinforced how I view Drew. One game isn’t—and shouldn’t—change that.

On the field, Lock’s been a beast. Off the field, he’s been exactly the leader this team needs. Despite just being a rookie and having four NFL starts under his belt, he’s proved he can be the guy.

John Elway won’t say it, but I will—Drew Lock’s the Broncos’ quarterback of the future.

Mase

ONLY A DISASTER — … and I don’t expect the sort of game that would qualify — say, 12-of-32 for 140 yards, no touchdowns and four interceptions.

Lock should be the No. 1 quarterback going into 2020. The Broncos would be wise to look for a steady veteran such as Chase Daniel to serve as a backup, and it wouldn’t hurt to take a Day 3 flyer on a high-upside prospect. But everything that they do on offense should be predicated around giving Lock the best chance to succeed.

CAN ANY PLAYERS CHANGE DENVER’S PLAN FOR THEM WITH A BIG GAME SUNDAY?

Ryan

Jake Rodgers, Patrick Morris and Austin Schlottman — If you’re saying, “who?” I don’t blame you. None of these guys were notable just a few weeks ago, but like most great NFL underdog stories, injuries have given them an opportunity.

If any of these three guys go out there and have a big game on Sunday, they are going to earn a head start on a job in 2020, especially for Rodgers and Morris, who are both “Mike Munchak guys.”

Even Schlottman, who wasn’t originally a “Munchak guy” has earned a lot of respect from the legendary coach and has really taken to his coaching, according to a source.

The Broncos don’t want to go into the offseason with multiple holes on their offensive line, these guys have a chance to make them think they have one less.

Zac

DaeSean Hamilton — The second-year receiver has had more catches (12), receiving yards (126), touchdowns (1) and a higher catch percent (54.5) in the last four games with Drew Lock as his quarterback than he did in the first eight games of the season under Joe Flacco and Brandon Allen.

Coming off six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s victory over the Lions, the 6-foot-1 receiver can attempt to prove that he wasn’t a problem the first half of the season, but in fact, it was the sub-par quarterback play.

With another big game on Sunday, Hamilton can help solidify his spot on the roster going into the offseason by showing he can be a reliable receiver when called upon. Originally, people hoped DaeSean would be the next Emmanuel Sanders, but he still has a long way to go to get there. But he could be sitting pretty as a potential No. 3 receiver with another solid game on Sunday.

Mase

Hamilton — He surged at the end of last year, too, but this has the potential to be different. First of all, being a trusted target of Lock carries much more long-term potential than being the same with Case Keenum. Second, he appears to have used the drop of a potential touchdown in Week 13 against the Chargers as a turning point.

Third, the coaching staff, led by Vic Fangio, clearly wants to see him succeed. At midseason, Fangio said he needed to see more “oomph” in Hamilton’s play. When asked this week whether Hamilton had shown that, the first-year head coach responded thusly:

“Yeah, he’s played better. I think his last critical drop was in the Chargers game. We all talked to him; I talked to him one-on-one about it and I think he’s come back from that.”

Turns out, Fangio did more than just talk to Hamilton.

“He showed me a play where DeAndre Hopkins had a drop similar to mine against the Chargers — an easy, walk-in touchdown with plenty of space in front of you,” Hamilton told me this week in an interview that initially aired on KOA-AM 850. “Then he told me that it’s really just a matter of how you’re able to respond. Everybody knows that DeAndre Hopkins, one of the better players in the league, is going to be able to respond.

“So from that point, it was a matter of how I was going to respond to it, and not let it linger and not let it just be something that is hanging over my head for the rest of this season. That obviously was a boost. That helped me realize that’s not the end of the world, and at the same time, there are going to be more opportunities to put that behind me.”

That’s coaching. It also shows the investment and belief the Broncos have in Hamilton. If he stacks another solid game atop the one he delivered against the Lions, he can be the Broncos’ answer in the slot and as the No. 3 wide receiver.

RESULT VS. RAIDERS (+3.5)

Ryan

Broncos 27, Raiders 24 — This is going to be a great football game.

The Raiders are coming into this one desperate to keep their playoff hopes alive, but don’t be fooled by anyone who thinks this is a meaningless game for the Broncos. Multiple players told me this week that finishing 4-1 to end the season means a lot to this team, especially to the younger guys.

Motivation will not be a problem for the surging Broncos, who win this one on a walk-off Brandon McManus field goal.

Zac

Broncos 31, Raiders 20 — In terms of playoffs, the Broncos have nothing to play for and the Raiders have everything to play for on Sunday. But for the future prognosis of this team, Sunday’s game is very meaningful for Denver.

Vic Fangio and Rich Scangarello will approach it as such and throw everything at the Raiders in order to not just get the victory, but do it in convincing fashion.

Drew Lock will go off against a Raiders team that’s lost four of their past five and finish his rookie season 4-1. Last week, Lock pocketed his gunslinger mentality. This week, he’ll break it out for a grand season finale performance.

Mase

Broncos 27, Raiders 20 — Take out the snowpocalypse in Kansas City, and the Broncos have averaged 27 offensive points per game in Drew Lock’s three starts. Oakland, meanwhile, is averaging 19.9 points per game this season. Round that up by one-tenth of a point, and there you go.