The Broncos had a tough decision to make about their starting quarterback in 2021. Both Teddy Bridgewater and Drew Lock had played well through two preseason games, and coach Vic Fangio acknowledged that the competition was close on numerous occasions.
On Wednesday, Fangio named the veteran Bridgewater starter over third-year quarterback Lock. And Lock spoke Thursday about losing the quarterback battle.
"You know it's disappointing," Lock told reporters. "I feel like at the time I was playing some, some of the best football I've played since I've been in the league. I've been more confident than I'd ever been. Most guys think of me as a confident guy, but I was probably more confident than I've been."
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Indeed, Lock was playing well. He and Bridgewater were neck-and-neck statistically. Bridgewater completed a higher percentage of his passes while Lock had slightly more passing yards, but both QBs performed well in the Broncos' 33-6 and 30-3 wins over the Vikings and Seahawks, respectively.
| Quarterback | Completion % | Passing Yards | Pass TDs | INTs |
| Drew Lock | 66.7 | 231 | 2 | 0 |
| Teddy Bridgewater | 84.2 | 179 | 2 | 0 |
Even still, Lock acknowledged that the closeness of the competition didn't make it any easier to hear that he had lost the starting job.
"As nice as that is to hear it was that close, it's still tough," Lock said. "Because, you know, you work at it, you want it so bad and then it ends up not going in your favor."
That said, Lock isn't letting the defeat in the quarterback battle get him down. He's already looking for ways to help the team from the sidelines. And even if he's not getting first-team reps, he believes that there's a way for him to contribute.
"This [is] such a special team. I was hoping and looking forward to being able to lead this team," Lock said. "But you know, no finger pointing, no negativity. It's going to be about me finding ways to still make this team great. Whether that's in practice, working with Teddy, trying to find ways for him to get better, whatever he needs me to do. That's, that's pretty much my goal."
And his other goal? He wants to improve as much as he can and show that he can be a viable starting quarterback.
"I'm gonna get better," Lock said. "I'm gonna have fun. I'm gonna bring energy to this practice, bring energy to this team and just keep being myself."
