The Lead
Though Drew Lock has not played much this season due to a shoulder injury, Pro Football Hall of Fame football executive Gil Brandt still thinks Lock is one of the best players of his class.
In a recent article for NFL.com, he picked Lock as the eighth-best second-year player, behind just 2019 first-overall pick Kyler Murray at his position.
"Drew Lock's ugly fourth quarter in Sunday's win over the Patriots overshadowed the fact that, at 23, he became the youngest quarterback to ever beat Bill Belichick's Patriots at Gillette Stadium," Brandt wrote.
Although it was certainly an up-and-down day for Drew, it's worth noting he had several on-target passes that were dropped. Even if only half of those were caught, we could be talking about a two-touchdown day with 250 yards, which would have given a much different perception to the outing.
Though Brandt notes that he's still yet to be convinced that Lock is the surefire long-term solution to the Broncos' quarterback concerns, he still sees his strengths.
"I am impressed with Lock's 5-3 record as a starter in his career thus far, and by his ability to succeed despite instability at the receiver position, with Emmanuel Sanders being traded away last year before Lock played a meaningful snap and this year's No. 1, Courtland Sutton, being lost for the season with a torn ACL in Week 2," Brandt wrote.
Below the Fold
In Week 6, the Broncos wasted no time going for the home-run ball, as Lock connected with Tim Patrick on a 41-yard pass on his first throw of the game. That aggressiveness will remain as the Broncos turn their attention to Kansas City, as Ryan O’Halloran reports for The Denver Post. "We felt like we had to be aggressive and we have to be that way against everybody we play," Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur said Thursday.
So far, the entire NFL is being more aggressive, it seems. Two-point conversion attempts are on the rise, on pace for a league record, as Pro Football Talk’s Michael David Smith writes. "Last year teams went for two on 8 percent of all touchdowns, while this year teams are going for two on 11 percent of all touchdowns."
