ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The last pass Drew Lock threw was a game-winning walk-off touchdown to K.J. Hamler on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Denver Broncos improbable 21-point comeback against the Chargers kept playoff hopes alive and helped change the narrative surrounding Denver’s young offense.
But what do Lock and the Broncos’ young offense need to do on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons to prove their comeback win wasn’t a fluke?
The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down and gives their prediction for Sunday’s game.
WHAT MUST DREW LOCK DO AGAINST THE FALCONS?
Zac
Drop over 20 points, 60% completion & have more touchdowns than interceptions — Drew Lock was phenomenal in the fourth quarter against the Chargers. In the final quarter, the gunslinger was a magnificent 14-of-18 for 155 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions and a 142.1 passer rating.
He does not have to do anything close to that on Sunday for it to be a success, although a similar performance throughout the game would certainly be welcomed.
What the second-year quarterback needs to do against the Falcons is prove he is far from the quarterback he was in the first three-quarters of the Chargers game, where he simply looked lost on the field. The offense only scored 10 points through 45 minutes of play and Lock went 12-of-23 for 93 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
Lock needs to look comfortable and in control of the offense for the majority of the game. He doesn’t have to light the scoreboard or stat sheet on fire, he just needs to look like an adequate NFL quarterback, which he is capable of doing.
As he proved in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, his ceiling is incredibly high. Now he just needs to prove he can be steady and consistent.
Mase
At least a 9o.5 rating — By the numbers, such a day might look like 19 completions in 30 attempts, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception and 240 yards. That would give him a passer rating of 96.5.
But how he gets those statistics matters, too. Obviously, if the Broncos fall behind and they can’t complete a comeback, then big numbers could be dismissed as coming in garbage time. So, what Lock needs is a good, balanced, four-quarter game in which the offense doesn’t go into a funk for a handful of consecutive possessions.
90.5 is a key number for the Falcons, as well. In the last two seasons, Atlanta is 0-13 when the opposing starting quarterback posts a rating of 90.5 or higher, but 9-2 when the rating is below that mark. One of the two defeats came in Week 3, when the Bears yanked starter Mitchell Trubisky in favor of Nick Foles; Foles entered and finished above that threshold (95.2).
Ryan
Build on the progress — Everyone is expecting every moment to be the moment for Drew Lock, and that’s just not how it works. Of course, it would be nice to see Drew pick up where he left off last week and play an entire game the way he played the fourth quarter against the Chatgers, but that’s usually not the way it works.
What I want to see from Drew Lock is a step in the right direction. That means a better mix of check downs and deep shots, more recognition of where the open receiver is, taking the easy first down when it’s there, etc.
There are a lot of areas that Lock needs to improve in, id he continues to work on those things each week and takes steps in the right direction, we’re going to feel good about where he is at the end of the season.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTIONS VS FALCONS (-4)
Zac
Broncos 24, Falcons 23 — The biggest question in this game will surround Drew Lock and Denver’s young offense. Will the second-year quarterback look more like the quarterback he was in the first half of the Chargers game — where the offense couldn’t move the ball, let alone put points on the board — or closer to the clutch fourth-quarter ‘Q’? I believe the Broncos will remain hot down in Atlanta.
After their epic comeback against the Chargers, Denver’s offense will hit the ground running and not wait until the fourth quarter to get going against the Falcons. But with the Broncos missing their entire starting defensive line, this game will be very close until the final few minutes.
At 3-4 and 2-6, Sunday’s game on the surface appears to be two below-average teams facing off. However, in roughly the past month, both teams have a winning record as the Broncos have gone 3-1 in their past four and the Falcons have a 2-1 record since firing Dan Quinn.
Led by Lock’s swag and dance moves, the Broncos are as confident as they’ve been in years. That will translate on the field, specifically at the end of the game.
Mase
Broncos 28, Falcons 27 — So much is going against the Broncos. They will play Sunday without five intended starters on defense. They won’t have cornerback A.J. Bouye to line up against Julio Jones. Their defensive line will not have a single Week 1 first-teamer in the lineup. The offensive line will play without right guard Graham Glasgow for a week. They can’t count on Raheem Morris’ Falcons to drop seven players into deep coverage time and again.
But the confidence that comes with a dramatic rally cannot be understated. If the Broncos find themselves in a hole, they have evidence that they can escape. Meanwhile, like the Chargers, the Falcons have blown big leads; they coughed up second-half advantages of 16 and 19 points in September against Chicago and Dallas, respectively.
Don’t be surprised to see another heart-stopping comeback Sunday.
Ryan
Broncos 31, Falcons 26 —The Broncos defense is going to have a tough time out there with no A.J. Bouye and no Shelby Harris on top of their normal roster full of injuries, but while I think they give up a good chunk of yards, I also think they bow their backs in the red zone and force enough field goals to get the win while Drew Lock and the offense get rolling a bit.
