QB Drew Lock lifts Broncos past Chargers in debut

DENVER -- Rookie Drew Lock is now the seventh different quarterback to open a game behind center for the Denver Broncos since Week 9 of the 2017 season. It remains to be seen if he is indeed the lucky seven or not for a franchise that has wandered the quarterback wilderness since Peyton Manning retired after the Super Bowl 50 victory to close out the 2015 season.

Largely enveloped in a game plan to limit his exposure to the Los Angeles Chargers' pass rush, Lock and the Broncos' offense were the beneficiaries of two early Chargers turnovers on the way to an early 17-3 lead and they held on for a 23-20 victory.

Lock finished 18-of-28 passing for 134 yards with two touchdowns and an interception; both touchdowns came in the first quarter. And 10 of the Broncos' points came following Chargers turnovers and the short fields that came with them; two of Denver's scoring drives were for 18 and eight yards, respectively.

A third Broncos scoring drive of 21 yards, in the fourth quarter, came after the Chargers missed a field goal. One of Lock's biggest plays might have come on an incompletion to Courtland Sutton in the closing seconds, when Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward was called for a pass interference penalty with 3 seconds remaining.

Brandon McManus kicked a 53-yard winner on the final play.

But for many shivering in the seats, the day was also about Lock. Lock, who was officially moved to the Broncos' roster from injured reserve Saturday, made his first career start and was the third quarterback to start a game for Denver this season after the injured Joe Flacco (now on injured reserve) and Brandon Allen.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio did not formally name Lock the starter at any point during the past week, though Lock did take 75% of the snaps with the offense in practice. The rookie got a large ovation when he ran onto the field with the starters to open the game.

With that, the second-round pick in last April's draft (42nd overall) became the Broncos' seventh different starting quarterback since Week 9 of the 2017 season, when Brock Osweiler started in place of an injured Trevor Siemian; it is the ninth change overall at the position in that span of 37 games, including Sunday's.

The move came amid what has been a season of struggles for the Broncos' offense, and in front of some empty seats: There were an abnormally high 19,094 no-shows Sunday. The win was just fifth time the team has scored more than 16 points this season, and Denver was coming off a 134-yard performance in Week 12 in a 20-3 loss to Buffalo, the team's lowest single-game output since 1992 and the eighth-lowest total in franchise history.

The Broncos (4-8) used plenty of two-back as well as two- and three-tight end looks to try to keep Lock out of harm's way; they used at least two backs or at least two tight ends on 13 of their first 21 snaps of the game. And after a three-and-out to open the game, Denver had its best drive of the day on the next offensive possession with 12-play, 80-yard touchdown march.

Lock was 5-of-7 passing for 49 yards on the drive, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Sutton on which Sutton made a diving one-handed catch. After rookie Dre'Mont Jones intercepted Philip Rivers three plays after Sutton's touchdown catch, the Broncos covered 18 yards in six plays for their second touchdown -- a 5-yard pass from Lock to Sutton.

Toss in a four-play field goal drive after the Broncos recovered a muffed punt and Denver had a 17-3 lead with 5 minutes, 32 seconds left in the second quarter.

However, things were more difficult the rest of the way for Lock and the Broncos' offense overall once they had worked through the opening script, as the Chargers kept Denver in more difficult down-and-distance situations and forced Lock to survey a wider variety in coverage. Lock had just 11 yards passing in the third and fourth quarters combined.

That is not entirely surprising given that Lock had taken part in just 10 full-team practices, not including walk-throughs, before Sunday's game. He had been injured reserve since the start of the regular season -- he suffered a right thumb injury in the Aug. 19 preseason loss to the San Francisco 49ers -- and did not participate in a full practice again until Nov. 12.

Before he returned to the practice field, Lock had spent plenty of time using the team's virtual reality system to go through the practice snaps each day.

"It gets to the point where you just can't take not doing anything any more,'' Lock said last week. "That hit me about four weeks ago. ... As far as me actually thinking I'm ready ... I felt good after [last] week, I felt like if needed I would be able to come in, I would be able to compete, I would be able to complete balls.''

Lock became the eighth Broncos quarterback to start a game in his rookie season and the first rookie to see the team win his first start since John Elway and Gary Kubiak in 1983.