ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Down 24-3 on Sunday to the Los Angeles Chargers, Drew Lock had a spectacular fourth quarter to lead the Denver Broncos to an inconceivable last-second comeback victory.
But despite tossing three touchdowns, including a walk-off, and posting a 142.2 passer rating in the fourth quarter, it wasn’t the Q who was responsible for getting the comeback started, according to the Broncos’ next opponent.
“Drew Lock is a young player who is gaining confidence. But the thing that makes that thing go is Phillip Lindsay,” Atlanta Falcons’ interim head coach Raheem Morris told 92.9 The Game in Atlanta. “He came in, started the spark with that big long run. He got the team going. He motivated them. He had juice. He had energy. And he absolutely got Drew Lock going, gave him confidence and got those guys rolling on offense.”
Drew Lock had the stats, but No. 30 had the juice.
With six minutes left in the third quarter, Lindsay’s 55-yard touchdown run didn’t just bring the Broncos within two possessions of the Chargers, it brought a sign of life to the team, specifically to Lock.
“They [steamed] confidence,” Morris told the Denver media on Wednesday about the Broncos’ fourth-quarter comeback. “Drew is a confident young man already. Watching him go out there and throw some really good balls down the stretch after Lindsay got it sent off—they were down 24 to 3 and Lindsay broke out a big run. He’s kind of the heartbeat of the team when it comes to that type of demeanor, I’ve got a lot of respect for him and what he does.”
This isn’t groundbreaking news to anyone who has watched the Broncos since the hometown kid signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2018. Lindsay’s relentless motor, unwavering passion and bouncing hair have become a centerpiece for the Broncos and the state of Colorado sports all the way back to his days at South High School.
“When I say the heartbeat of the team, I mean kind of the juice guy,” Morris explained. “When he does have a carry, it’s meaningful. The way he runs the ball with passion, you can feel it—it oozes off tape. It’s a lot of credit to him and it’s a lot of credit to those guys.”
In the NFL, none of that matters if the production isn’t there. With No. 30, however, the production has always been there.
In the first two years of his career, Lindsay became the first undrafted running back to rush for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start a career. This year, when on the field and healthy, he’s been even better than his first two years.
Since returning from a turf toe injury that sidelined him for three-and-a-half games, Lindsays has a 101-yard rushing game and has averaged a whopping 8.8 yards per carry and an incredible 13.8 yards per carry in the other two games.
On Sunday, despite running for nearly 14 yards per carry, Lindsay only received six attempts.
“You would never judge on how many attempts a guy gets because it’s all based on the game plan and how it’s going to go,” Morris said when asked if he was surprised the “heartbeat” of the team received such few carries. “Melvin Gordon is a very good player, they have them splitting carries and doing two different things. They got put into a situation where they were behind, sometimes you have to throw the ball more—all of those things come into play. Who am I to second guess what they’re doing and their decisions?”
Many in Broncos Country have second-guessed the amount of use Lindsay has or hasn’t received over the past two and a half years. But no one will second guess Raheem Morris’ sentiments surrounding No. 30.
“I do know [Philip Lindsay] is the heartbeat of the team.”
