Thanks to Drew Lock, everything just changed for the Denver Broncos

Ah, how much can change in just two weeks.

Two weeks ago, the Broncos were staring at a top-five pick in the draft. Two weeks ago, it was quite possible that that pick was going to be used on a quarterback. Two weeks ago, John Elway was 0-for drafting quarterbacks. Two weeks ago, the Broncos were a 3-8 team, a long way away from relevancy.

Enter Andrew Stephen Lock, or simply “Drew,” as you now know him. A quarterback can change everything.

Behind an electric performance on Sunday to the tune of 22-of-27, 309 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 135.0 quarterback rating, Drew Lock is 2-0 as a starter, passing the eye test and blowing up nearly every narrative around the Broncos in the process.

Suddenly, the Broncos aren’t even in the top 10 in the draft order. Suddenly, it looks as if quarterback is not the team’s top need. Suddenly, John Elway’s last two drafts have gone from looking good to looking great. Suddenly, the Broncos look like a rising team with a strong young core.

It really is that simple. At the root of all the Broncos’ problems over the last four years has been the quarterback position. In the same way that a quarterback can cover up a lot of issues for a team and an organization—ahem, Peyton Manning—the lack of a quarterback will do the exact opposite, magnifying every problem you have.

While it’s still early, Lock has passed his first two tests with flying colors. On Sunday, he became the first-ever rookie to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns in his first road start, making some extremely impressive throws in the process. We know what we saw.

So now, we must begin to shift the way we have been thinking about the future of the Denver Broncos.

If Lock keeps this up, Denver has the flexibility to improve their team in many different ways in the draft. Do they go tackle? You have to be able to protect your prized young quarterback, and there are some good options in this year’s class. But let’s also not ignore the fact that, despite drawing a flag for block in the back on Sunday, Garett Bolles has looked much better since Lock got under center. Remember, a good quarterback can change everything.

If not tackle, do they go wide receiver? Courtland Sutton and (insert any of the top receivers in an insane class) sounds pretty good, right? You gotta get weapons for that young QB.

Do they get their shutdown corner of the future with the likelihood being that Chris Harris Jr. will hit the market after the season?

The options are endless.

And let’s talk about Rich Scangarello, folks. Because the fact is that no offensive coordinator looks good with a bad quarterback, but on Sunday, Scangarello looked like a mad scientist as the Broncos racked up nearly 400 yards of offense, propelled by play after play that had receivers running wide open. He put the pedal to the metal and never looked back. That’s what his offense can look like at its best.

Let’s circle back to Elway, too, because these last two rookie classes just keep looking better. Courtland Sutton, Bradley Chubb, Phillip Lindsay, Noah Fant, Dalton Risner and now Drew Lock. That group is the future of the Broncos right there, and all of the sudden the future looks pretty darn bright.

By the way, have you heard anyone talk about an ownership dispute in the last two weeks? Me either.

On Nov. 17, following the team’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, I wrote the following: “If, and it’s a big if, they hit on Lock, this team is ready to go right away. They are much, much closer than we were led to believe as they tried to drag Joe Flacco along.”

On Sunday, you saw that come to fruition.

Ah, how much can change in just two weeks.