Lock 50/ 50 for Patriots
If injured quarterback isn’t ready, Rypien would get his second start
Drew Lock is “50/ 50” to play in Week 5 in New England after missing the last two games, coach Vic Fangio said Friday afternoon. But the Broncos quarterback still hasn’t thrown a football since injuring his right shoulder against the Steelers in Week 2.
“We’ll see how he progresses here by Tuesday, by Wednesday, and see where he’s at,” Fangio said. “I just need to see a healthy quarterback. I’m not going to put him out there unless he’s healthy and can throw without
hesitation and without altering his delivery.”
If Lock can’t play in Foxborough, Brett Rypien — who led the Broncos to their first win of the season in his first NFL start in New York on Thursday — will get his second start. Rypien paired three ugly interceptions with two touchdowns in a messy win over the winless Jets. He is Denver’s ninth starting quarterback since Peyton Manning retired after the 2015 season.
Fangio was pleased with Rypien’s showing overall, even if he “wasn’t pleased with the three interceptions.” The second- year undrafted free agent out of Boise State was 19- of- 31 for 242 yards, building off his NFL debut in
Week 3 when he took over for Jeff Driskel in the fourth quarter of the loss to Tampa Bay.
“I was surprised by the interceptions, particularly the first one, because that was a bad decision by his part to even try and fit that ball in there,” Fangio said. “But I also love some of the throws he made. Down the field, the touchdown pass to Tim ( Patrick) — he managed the operation good.”
Rypien’s pocket presence also drew praise from Fangio. That was a facet of the game Driskel had issues with in relief of Lock in Week 2, and then again in his start in
Week 3. Driskel, who signed a two- year, $ 5 million deal in the offseason to be Lock’s backup, played one snap against the Jets on Thursday.
“We went from giving up 13 sacks in the previous two games to none, and ( Rypien) definitely played a part in that,” Fangio said.
While Lock’s return to the field appears imminent — if he doesn’t play in New England, he’s on track to play in the next home game Oct. 18 against Miami — the Broncos’ backup battle is still to be decided. Fangio said the team will continue to carry four quarterbacks “until we deem Drew to be healthy.”
That means Rypien, Driskel and Blake Bortles ( a veteran free agent signed for additional depth following Lock’s injury) have about two weeks to compete for a maximum of three quarterback spots on the roster. Fangio’s vote of confidence in Rypien’s early showing suggests Rypien could be a frontrunner for that No. 2 job, with Driskel and Bortles ( who has
very little practice time in Denver) right behind.
“We’ll see how the backup position plays itself out here in the next couple weeks, and a lot of that will be based off Drew’s availability or lack of availability,” Fangio said.