Facing second-and-goal from the nine-yard line in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s showdown with the Cincinnati Bengals, the Denver Broncos called a read option play that gave quarterback Drew Lock the choice to hand the ball to running back Javonte Williams for an inside run or take it himself to the outside.
Lock opted to keep the ball and he quickly found himself face to face with Bengals defensive lineman Khalid Kareem, who forced a fumble that Cincinnati recovered.
That play started with 10:44 remaining in the game when Denver was trailing 15-10. Had Denver scored a touchdown on that drive, the team would have taken a 16-15 lead at worst or an 18-15 lead at best with a successful two-point attempt.
Instead, the Broncos went on to lose 15-10, and fans and pundits are now left to argue over if Lock is to blame for the fumble or if offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur is to blame for the play call. Perhaps both are at fault.
Broncos coach Vic Fangio didn’t have a problem with the play call.
“That’s a play that Drew has been good at since he’s been here,” Fangio said after the game. “That’s one of the reasons we ran it.”
Hanging onto the football has been a problem for Lock throughout his career. The third-year quarterback has 13 fumbles in 21 career games (18 starts).
“He decided to keep it and didn’t get it tucked away, and the guy took it from him which is a good play on that guy’s part,” Fangio said. “We have to get it tucked away.”
Lock admitted after the game that he should have given the ball to Williams instead of attempting to run himself.
“You know, [QBs coach Mike] Shula says it a couple times in the meeting rooms, when in doubt, give it to the professionals. I’m a professional thrower, not necessarily a professional runner,” Lock said. “I should have handed that thing off to Javonte looking back at it.”
In addition to his 13 fumbles, Lock has thrown 20 interceptions in his career. The turnover-prone QB could potentially be set to start in the place of an injured Teddy Bridgewater this week, and he knows taking care of the football needs to become a priority.
“My No. 1 thing is just taking care of the football,” Lock said. “I think I put the ball on the ground twice, and it’s way too many for me personally. I just got to play a little better. I got to hold onto the ball.”
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