In the NFL, it’s rare players get a second chance, let alone a third.

But for Drew Lock, his third — and likely final — chance as Denver Broncos starting quarterback is upon us all.

“I woke up with a big smile on my face this morning being able to come out here and be the guy this week for this team,” Lock said to the media on Wednesday. “There’s a lot that I’ve learned being in that backup role and what exactly it takes to be able to come out and win a football game. I learned a lot of that from Teddy [Bridgewater]. I think it’s just going to be me focusing on my job.”

So now, in his third season, Lock will start his first game of the year with the Broncos sitting at 7-7 overall. With three games to play, Denver is technically still in the playoff hunt, but it’s an increasingly long shot after losing to the Cincinnati Bengals last week 15-10.

In that game, Lock came in for the injured veteran Teddy Bridgewater — who sustained a bad head injury — and the Broncos scored their first touchdown of the game. But, Lock — who has been known for turning the ball over at an incredible rate to this point in his career — fumbled with the offense knocking on the door of a second score.

With three games to go, all within the AFC West, Lock and the Broncos are going to need to win-out to make the postseason for the first time since 2015. How can they do that? And maybe more importantly for the future of the franchise, how can Drew Lock earn the starting job in 2022 over the next three games?

Don’t turn the ball over

In only 81 snaps this season, Drew Lock has turned the ball over three times. That rate is simply way too high.

And throughout his career, Lock has been haunted by turnovers, too. In fact, the last time he played in Las Vegas — where the Broncos play this week — Lock had his worst game of his NFL career with 4 interceptions.

In 2020, his 15 interceptions and 3 fumbles led all quarterbacks, and he played only 13 games that year. However, it must be noted that the last time Lock started, the 2020 season finale, he enjoyed a solid start against the Raiders with zero turnovers.

This week, Lock has to make the smart play and not force the ball into double coverage deep. And when he gets into a scramble drill, he should be willing to throw the ball away rather than force it and possibly give possession away (like in LA earlier this year). Finally, he has to be ready for pass rushers, too, and if he gets hit needs to hold onto the ball so a negative play only results in a loss of yards, and not a turnover as well.

Throw it away when the play breaks down

We touched on this in the previous section, but this has troubled him as well.

Lock’s mechanics aren’t the most polished — he throws off his back foot a lot — and that can be attributed to his big arm. The young gun-slinger thinks he can make any throw, even when he’s on the run, and that’s gotten him into trouble many times.

What separates a starting quarterback from a backup?

When a play breaks down, a talented starter will still look downfield and try to make something happen, but if they must, they’ll simply throw the ball away. Lock likes to be the hero in those situations, and multiple times over the course of his short career he’s been rushed only to scramble and throw the ball into a covered receiver for a pick.

In Week 12, the Broncos were on the plus side of the field and in the 2-minute offense. All Lock had to do here was throw it away when he’s pressured, but he forced it into a covered Kendall Hinton and it was picked off. Even if the pass is completed, it would have gained a mere 1-2 yards.

Let’s see Lock throw the ball out of bounds in instances like those.

The truth is, the Broncos have stayed in games this year by relying on their defense to lead them with the offense simply not turning it over.

Hit the “shot” plays

What Lock brings to the field that Teddy Bridgewater could not, is his bigger arm.

Ironically, the Broncos with Bridgewater enjoyed more big plays than did the team in 2020 with Lock, but part of that could be play calling and part of it was the start against three terrible teams for Teddy.

Either way, Lock has to hit 1-2 big plays per game, bring the excitement as well as the explosive potential.

Two of the biggest determining factors are: Turnovers and explosive plays (20-plus yards). When the Broncos were winning earlier this year, they enjoyed a great “toxic differential” (explosive plays + turnover differential). In losses, they’ve been on the opposite side of big plays and turnovers.

Let’s see Lock connect with Courtland Sutton on a go or a post route or two. And how about he and Jerry Jeudy get some chemistry brewing and allow the young receiver to make things happen after the catch? Similarly, we saw Noah Fant with a big-gainer last week once Lock came in, so hopefully Fant can keep it going after a mostly quiet 2021 season.

Oh, and above all else, Lock needs to win. Of course, pinning it all on him isn’t fair, but if he doesn’t turn the ball over while making some big plays, he’ll certainly give the Broncos the best shot and winning games down the stretch.