Here's how the Broncos' tortuous quarterback debate finally ended

DENVER — Through 11 games of the regular season, the questions about who should be starting at quarterback for the Broncos didn’t stop — at least not outside the walls of Broncos headquarters.

Within them, the focus was always the same: Teddy Bridgewater was — for this year, at least — QB1.

“He’s our quarterback,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “It’s as simple as that.”

But on the outside, the debate continued to rage.

Until now.

After what transpired during a 28-13 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers that sets up a showdown for first place in Kansas City next week, this toxic debate should end.

Sunday’s proceedings showed exactly why Bridgewater is the starter and Drew Lock is the understudy.

Bridgewater was what he was supposed to be. Thirteen days after he apologized to teammates and issued a mea culpa to the public during a day-after-game press conference over Zoom, he responded by showing the toughness that came to define him at multiple stages in his career.

He ran for a touchdown, lunging at the pylon as defenders closed in. And he returned from a shin injury suffered when Derwin James clobbered him from the blindside — a play that saw him just barely get his arm forward, leading to an incompletion.

“Thank God I wear gloves and was able to hold onto the ball a little tighter and release it,” Bridgewater said.

But the hit and shin injury Bridgewater suffered forced Lock back into the lineup for the final three snaps of the first quarter and all of the second.

And on his third series under center, the hopes of Lock being able to play low-mistake football and preserve a two-touchdown lead built mostly by running backs Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams crumbled.

With the Broncos leading 14-0, they looked for the points that would push their halftime lead to three scores. A pass-interference penalty moved the Broncos to midfield with 1:56 left before halftime. They had two timeouts and time to be patient.

Instead, on second-and-8, Lock tried to wing a short sidearm shot to Kendall Hinton in the right flat as he rolled out on a run-pass option — despite the fact that James, an All-Pro safety, had coverage and an angle.

James lunged and picked it off. Hinton didn’t have a chance.

And the quarterback debate ended.

It wasn’t just the interception, which has been part and parcel of Lock’s play to this point in his career. Even in limited action this year, he has thrown two interceptions in 28 attempts.

It was the decision in that situation in the game. It was the dictionary definition of an unnecessary risk; it was a low-reward, high-risk pass that gave the Chargers their best field position of the day, from which they drive 47 yards in six plays to a 12-yard Justin Herbert-to-Austin Ekeler touchdown.

If not for a touch of good fortune after Joey Bosa knocked the football out of Lock’s left arm on his second play after replacing Bridgewater, Lock’s brief stint would have been downright catastrophic.

Bosa hit Lock on a third-and-3 play, jarring the ball loose, but it skipped into the grasp of Tim Patrick nine yards downfield, leading to a first down. Denver scored 6 plays later, with all of the yards coming via handoffs to Williams and Gordon.

Bridgewater appeared a bit gimpy when he took the field for the second half, but after Lock’s display, there was little question: Bridgewater was needed, and needed right then and there.

The offense went three-and-out on his first series back, but on his second, with the Broncos clinging to a 7-point lead, he was coolly efficient. He completed all three of his third-down passes, culminating in a third-and-goal, 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Saubert. He proved his toughness, stiff-arming Bosa as he rolled right before passing.

That put the Broncos up 21-7, and they were never threatened after that, allowing for a view of the contrast between the Broncos’ two quarterbacks Sunday — which could not have been clearer.

While Lock continued to be plagued by self-inflicted wounds, Bridgewater answered the questions that arose after the loss to the Eagles. He showed that one moment he came to regret didn’t reflect who he was as a player, that he is the man who overcame a horrific leg injury to eventually become a full-time starter again after four seasons spent mostly as a backup trying to rebuild his stature.

“Teddy is tough,” Fangio said. “This is unquestioned when you talk about him and I didn’t question it in the big picture.”

And he has been as advertised.

At this point last year, the Broncos had a league-worst 20 turnovers from the quarterback position — and even if you remove Hinton’s two interceptions when he was pressed into service in the 11th game last year, Denver’s QBs were still at the bottom of the barrel, with Lock responsible for 12 in just over seven games played.

This year, Denver’s quarterbacks have cut that down by 60 percent — even with Lock responsible for 25 percent of the QB giveaways despite playing just 7.1 percent of the snaps.

Lock has one giveaway every 32 total QB plays — the combined total of pass attempts, rushing attempts and times sacked. Bridgewater has one giveaway every 64.8 plays.

The Broncos’ success equation starts with protecting the football and making good decisions. For the most part this season, Bridgewater has done this.

Their long-term tomorrow at quarterback likely belongs to someone who isn’t in Colorado right now. George Paton has already seen five of next year’s top draft prospects in person, crossing Nevada’s Carson Strong off the checklist Saturday. Paton’s focus is as much on tomorrow as it the moment at hand.

But the Broncos’ today belongs to Bridgewater.

The 2021 Broncos are his team.

The debate is over.

And these Broncos will live or die on Bridgewater’s ability to lead them and avoid the back-breaking mistake.