Steady Teddy Bridgewater earned Denver Broncos' QB job, but it's not over for Drew Lock

The Broncos made a smart decision to name Bridgewater their starter. (1:06).
ENGLEWOOD (Colo.) -- The No. The No. 18 was a constant presence in the quarterback decision Denver Broncos coach Vic Fangio had to make throughout the offseason. This included the selection of Teddy Bridgewater over Drew Lock on the fourth Wednesday August.

No. 18 as in Peyton Manning. His four-year history of 50 Broncos victories, four AFC West championships, two Super Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl 50 win ended with the 2015 season.

No. 18 refers to the number of starts Drew Lock has had in his young career, as well as the number of interceptions that he has thrown during these games.

No. 18. This is the day of an extremely important season opener for Fangio & the Broncos.

Since Manning's departure, the Broncos have been nothing more than a sloppy turnstile at quarterback. Since Manning's departure, ten different players, including Phillip Lindsay, have opened games behind the center. Bridgewater will be the No. 1 player by taking Lock out in a close battle. Bridgewater will now be No.

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Bridgewater was a worthy candidate for the job. He was reliable, kept the offense's pace throughout practice and into preseason games. He was productive, and the offense rarely committed pre-snap penalties in practice when Bridgewater was not behind the center.

He completed 84.2% of his passes in his 40 snaps during the preseason games. He also did not throw an intercept and didn't take a sack. In those four possessions, the Broncos scored three touchdowns as well as a field goal.

Lock completed 66.7%, had two touchdowns and no interceptions, and was sacked twice. The Broncos had 47 plays during those preseason games. They scored two touchdowns, three field goal, and two punts. In eight possessions, they also turned the ball over on downs.

Both were able to play in a game and had the chance to play with many second- or potential third-teamers.

They practiced together, took on the Broncos starting defense nearly the same number of snaps, and worked well together. Bridgewater helped Lock and Lock has pushed Bridgewater.

Lock stated, "Secretly I was learning everything from Teddy." "And I think one thing he does that I will continue to add to my game is how he communicates, his communication, and how he operates after practice," Lock said.

This is a coaching team with a head coach who is in his third year of a 4-year contract and has been 0-for-September the past two seasons, which led to the Broncos' fourth- and fifth consecutive playoff losses. This lens shows that Bridgewater's reliability is more important than Lock's potential growth.

Although the NFL encompasses many things, it's hard to find fairness on this list.

Did a COVID-19 Season in 2020 seem fair to Lock?

Lock was it his continued dependence on a group of personnel that did not make him the most successful?

Is it fair for Lock to have a win-now mentality?

Yes, definitely, and no. Manning famously stated, "Every interception is a story and nobody likes to hear it."

Fangio announced the news to Lock and Bridgewater Wednesday morning. He said to them that he thought they were both good starting quarterbacks.

For Lock, a Broncos' second-round pick in 2019, it is a bit of a where-do-I-go-from-here moment. After his offseason of improvement, Lock is now a backup quarterback, having lost his starting job for first time in his athletic career.

Lock stated that "the hardest part was getting it, then going into the team meeting and knowing that it would be discussed."

Lock stated that Fangio explained Fangio's decision as follows: "It was just kind of coming down to being able choose a bit of his experience. That it was time for a choice, and it was close. Both of you are starters in this league.

Lock is not done. Manning threw 43 interceptions his first two seasons. He also had two seasons in which he had 23 or more interceptions during his four-year tenure in the league. It is difficult to imagine how that would have turned out in today's boom-or-bust social media world.

There are many teams that have No. There are 2 quarterbacks who have far less potential than Lock, and they might give George Paton, Broncos general manger, a call in days to come.

These turnovers are looming over Lock's rsum at the moment. In 2020, he tied for the league's lead in interceptions and was the last league player to reach 100%. His physical abilities and work ethic, which he displayed from the beginning of the 2020 season until Fangio's decision to choose Bridgewater, are still in his favor.

Bridgewater has helped Lock improve and will continue to do so. If Lock does his part now, Bridgewater can help Lock get on the right side of the quarterback decision.