Drew Lock’s resolve, Von Miller’s frustration evident in Broncos’ postgame comments
The thing about playing on a cold, snowy day is it’s fun when your team wins.
Losing is never enjoyable, but doing so when temperatures are below freezing and the snow makes footing difficult is even worse.
So, it’s unsurprising that Broncos players weren’t in a great mood Sunday following their 23-3 loss to the Chiefs at snowy Arrowhead Stadium.
For quarterback Drew Lock, the loss wasn’t the homecoming he wanted. But Lock, the former Mizzou and Lee’s Summit High School star, was more concerned with the team loss than personal performance.
“It is disappointing, but it does not have anything to do with coming home,” Lock told reporters. “I would be disappointed anywhere in the country if I played like this. When you come out with a loss, you are never going to be excited. Disappointment will always be the reaction, so it is what it is after a loss like that you will be disappointed.”
Lock, who completed 18 of 40 passes for 208 yards and an interception, said playing at Arrowhead was “awesome,” and believes the score wasn’t indicative of the game.
“People look at this and it will be blown up, like we got our butts kicked today, but there were so many opportunities for us to make plays and as bad as people are going to say it looked and how we feel right now, we are going to watch it and we are going to realize that there were plays there to be made,” he said. “If we make a couple here and there, that is a different game.”
This was Lock’s first snow game.
“Yeah, that is definitely the worst I have ever played in. I had a little sleet in my freshman year, but other than that, it was my first snow game,” he said.
Here is what other Broncos players were saying in postgame quotes shared by the Chiefs and on Denver’s website:
Von Miller
Opening statement
“It’s hard because I really don’t even know what to say. I don’t know how we got to this point. I don’t know why it went like this. I don’t know what to say. It’s tough. It’s tough being where we’re at. It’s tough being 30 years old and to go out with whatever issues I’m dealing with and still coming out so short. It’s tough playing nine years with Chris Harris (Jr.). It’s tough dealing with these last couple months, especially with the type of standard that we had whenever we came into the league. We went to the playoffs five (years) straight. I know I’m getting ahead of myself and talking about more than just the game. It’s just tough. I’m at a loss for words.”
Why is he putting things in perspective?
“I don’t know. We’ve tried everything. We’ve tried everything on and off the football field. We’ve tried all different coaches, all different players. I really don’t know what’s going on. If I did, I would be the first to execute whatever plan it is to make everything better. I’m just at a loss for words.”
Does this make you feel like this team is a long way from being competitive for a division title or playoff berth?
“I don’t even want to think about that, I just want to be competitive in one game. I don’t want to think about playoffs or divisional games, I just want to be competitive in this game, the game that we have coming up next, this play, this half, this quarter even. I just want to be competitive in what we’re doing right now. I don’t want to look down the road, let’s just get one now. One play, one win. It’s just been slipping away from us for way too long.”
Tight end Noah Fant
On the struggles of playing in the winter conditions
“For me personally, it was the snowflakes. People really don’t think about that. But, (when you have) snowflakes flying around, and trying to track the ball through snowflakes, it’s pretty distracting. So, I would say that’s the biggest thing. For some people, it’s the footing. I think our receivers, tight ends, and all of our guys, did a great job of pushing through that and knowing that things weren’t going to come easy. (They) made plays regardless.”
On Drew Lock
“Drew’s a great quarterback for us. I love being out there playing with him. I was talking to him after the game. I love the way he plays. I like how he takes chances sometimes. He shows passion. He cares about the team. Things like that. He’s been doing a great job. That’s just kind of the culture of our team. Everybody cares. Everybody wants to win. We’re just going to keep getting better.”
Here is what cornerback Chris Harris said about Patrick Mahomes:
Coach Vic Fangio
What made Travis Kelce so hard to cover?
“We gave a lot of attention to (Tyreek) Hill, which left 87 in some one-on-one situations, not always. We had a hard time covering him obviously.”
On the Chiefs winning nine straight against the Broncos
“They are really good. Their record the last few years is indicative of that. They lost an overtime game to go to the Super Bowl Champions last year. They are really good. They got a lot of talent on offense and they seem to have rectified their defense here in the last month or two. I know they have done very well against us in our two games.”
What does Drew Lock learn from the game?
“I think you benefit from all experiences in the NFL, good and bad. I did not see him get flustered out there and frustrated and all that. That part was good.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2019 at 11:50 AM.
