The Denver Broncos are 2-0 since Brock Osweiler took over under center for Peyton Manning, including a road win against former head coach John Fox in Chicago and last Sunday night’s thrilling overtime victory over Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
Osweiler has completed 62.3 percent of his passes over his two starts, with three touchdowns and only one turnover. Some have been surprised about sudden emergence of the former second-round pick, but his teammates are not included in that group.
“We’ve seen Brock every day for four years, he isn’t new to us, he didn’t just arrive,” safety David Bruton Jr. said, via ESPN. “We’ve seen him work, we’ve seen him practice, we’ve seen how he’s handled himself. None of this is a surprise to us.”
The last two weeks have righted Denver’s season. Osweiler and his ability to seize the moment and avoid the negative play have been a big reason why.
Osweiler completed 20 of 27 passes with two touchdowns against the Bears, including a fourth quarter score that provided the game-winning points. Most importantly, he didn’t have a giveaway.
Last week, he rebounded from a shaky start to throw the go-ahead touchdown with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. His 4-yard score to Andre Caldwell capped off a five-play, 83-yard march. After the Patriots tied the game in regulation, Osweiler helped pave the way for Denver’s overtime win, calling the correct audible on the game’s final play. C.J. Anderson scampered 48 yards on a pitch play to the weakside to give the Broncos a come-from-behind victory.
Now, most are convinced Osweiler—who has just 123 passing attempts since being drafted in 2012—gives the Broncos the best chance to reach the Super Bowl.
His teammates didn’t need convincing.
“He’s just Brock, he’s Brock, he’s the Brock we know,” Broncos linebacker Von Miller said. “Maybe everybody else didn’t know him, but we did. We saw it every day and now he’s just showing everybody else.”