The Denver Broncos escaped New England with a win on Sunday. In doing so, they overcame an obstacle that only one other team to ever beat the Patriots in their building during the Belichick era has managed to handle: Their quarterback had multiple interceptions.
Via NFL Research, the only other team to win in New England despite multiple interceptions from their quarterback was the 2001 Rams, who won in Week 10 at New England with quarterback (and eventual regular-season MVP) Kurt Warner throwing two interceptions (including a pick six) in a 24-17 victory. Obviously, that’s not a point of pride for the Broncos; after the 18-12 win, coach Vic Fangio addressed by phone with PFT the two second-half interceptions thrown by quarterback Drew Lock.
“I mean we’ve got to make good decisions,” Fangio said. “He just can’t throw the ball up there in the middle of the field and hope for a good outcome. Sometimes you can get away with that up-down the sidelines where it’s just two players there, the sidelines and ball. To throw it up in the middle of the field there you know is probably not the best of decisions there, but we’ll take a look at the play and what his reads were and see if that is correct.”
It’s fair criticim of a couple of bad throws that helped make the game much closer than it was or should have been. And Lock will need to avoid those kinds of mistakes if the Broncos will have any chance to keep it close with the Chiefs next Sunday.