Broncos coach still not saying who will start at QB

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos did everything to prepare rookie quarterback Drew Lock for his first NFL start.

They designed a game plan around his strengths, had him take most of the snaps with the starters all week, praised his progress, prepped him for production meetings and interviews and declared he’ll be brought off injured reserve and suit up Sunday for the first time.

The one thing they didn’t do was anoint him the starter.

“We haven’t decided yet,” coach Vic Fangio insisted when asked Friday who will be his starting quarterback Sunday when the Broncos (3-8) host the Los Angeles Chargers (4-7). “But we’re definitely going to activate Drew tomorrow and he’ll be dressing on Sunday for sure.”

Why the delay?

“I just wanted a chance to go in and look at the tape more extensively,” Fangio said, adding he’ll make up his mind “probably tomorrow.”

“Or tonight.”

It would make little sense for Fangio not to start Lock after giving him three-quarters of the snaps at practice all week, leaving only about 30 snaps for Brandon Allen, hardly enough for a QB with all of three starts on his resume to get ready for another starting assignment.

Fangio said the decision would come down to Lock or Allen, leaving undrafted rookie Brett Rypien out of the mix. Rypien could be the odd man out when Lock is activated off injured reserve, although there are several other possibilities with so many players nicked up.

Allen went 1-2 after veteran Joe Flacco went on IR with a neck injury, beating Cleveland in his debut but losing at Minnesota and Buffalo, which own two of the top six scoring defenses in the league.