Inside the play that defined Drew Lock's debut

DENVER — Courtland Sutton ran the wrong route on his inconceivable one-handed, diving touchdown catch in the first quarter during the Broncos 23-20 win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Well, it was the wrong route in the eyes of offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello.

After reading Scangarello’s play call in the huddle, Drew Lock told Denver’s No. 1 receiver to run a different route than what the offensive coordinator dialed up.

“You know what’s crazy,” Sutton said, revealing Drew’s bold move to the world. “Drew told me to run [the fade], which I was happy that he told me to do, because I’m not going to go off-schedule. But him telling me to do it, it was awesome.”

It was a Peyton-Manning type move.

But, of course, it wasn’t Peyton that made the call in the huddle.

It was Drew Lock. Making his first career start. His 15th-career play in the NFL. His ninth-career pass.

“He told me, ‘Hey, run a fade,’” Sutton said, describing how Lock called his own shot in the huddle.

“Okay, bet,” the 6-foot-4 receiver responded to his new quarterback.

The rest was history. Roughly 30 seconds later, and 26 yards down the field, Sutton had one arm locking the ball to his chest as he skid across the Broncos “S” on the right side of the end zone as Drew trotted toward the end zone to celebrate his first-career touchdown pass that he himself orchestrated.

Without the rook changing the play, his first-career touchdown would have been on hold.

“Drew gave me a chance, and that’s all I can ask—a chance to go make a play,” Sutton said. “I always try to say, ‘If they can get it close to me, then I’ll try to make a play on it. I’ll definitely try to make a play on it.’”

Drew did what needed to be done. He dialed up the right route, tossed it to No. 14, and let the star receiver make an all-worldly catch.

And let’s make this clear. This wasn’t an audible. He did not see the defense and diagnose it at the line. This was not routine. Drew did this before the offense ever broke the huddle.

“I knew that Drew had a little swag to him,” Sutton said, smiling ear-to-ear, talking about Lock’s confidence to change the route on just his second series in the NFL.

“It’s awesome,” Sutton continued. “Just from when he’s back there, you can see it—his demeanor and the way he carries himself, he has some swag to how he carries himself. It’s awesome to see him go out and, like I said, have that confidence. That’s the biggest thing. If you all remember the press conference we had at the beginning, he has to build that confidence within himself, and he went out there and did that today.”

After Lock’s first series, where he admitted he was a bit jittery, there were no signs that he was making his first career start. There wasn’t a clue on the field that Lock had just 10 practices under his belt since the preseason.

“I think he handled himself well during the game—calling plays in the huddle, not looking like the situation was too big for him,” Vic Fangio said, diagnosing Lock’s first start.

Drew wasn’t just relaying plays in the huddle—he was literally calling his own plays in the huddle.

And it paid off in spades. Or, more accurately, touchdowns.

“I’m excited to see what he does at the end of this season and with the rest of his future, because the guy works his butt off and is deserving of what’s coming to him in the future,” Sutton stated.

Welcome to the Drew Lock era, where no cornerbacks or play calls are safe.