After exiting Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with a concussion, Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater will now have to clear the five phases of the NFL’s concussion protocol before being allowed to return to the field.
If Bridgewater is not cleared to return this week, Drew Lock will start against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5. Lock suffered a shoulder injury against the Steelers in Week 2 last season, an injury that sidelined him for two games.
“I’m not sure how the protocols are, but I’m going to go about it like I’m going to start this weekend,” Lock said on Sunday evening. “It will be a good chance to go back to Pittsburgh and kind of put some of that to bed from last year. It would be exciting for me to take reps, get with these guys, get in the swing of things and see what we can do to a good Pittsburgh Steeler team.”
Lock didn’t play particularly well against Baltimore, but coach Vic Fangio pointed out after the loss that the entire offense struggled.
“Well I think his performance was just like the rest of the offense,” Fangio said. “We just weren’t good enough today after the one touchdown we got, and we really could get anything going. We weren’t getting it going with Teddy either after the touchdown drive so I think it’s more of a collective thing offensively than a quarterback thing.”
After replacing an injured Bridgewater at halftime, Lock went 12-of-21 passing for 113 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in Sunday’s 23-7 loss to the Ravens. He was also sacked three times.
Bridgewater went 7-of-16 passing for 65 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers against Baltimore. Concussions vary and symptoms can linger, so it’s impossible to predict how long Bridgewater might be sidelined.
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