#Broncos Teddy Bridgewater name starting quarterback for Week 1

The Giants now know which quarterback to prepare for in Week 1.

Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Wednesday that Teddy Bridgewater will start over Drew Lock in Week 1 against the Giants.

Bridgewater impressed in Denver’s two preseason wins against the Vikings and Seahawks, completing 16 of 19 passes for 179 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

On Tuesday, Fangio said the quarterback battle between Bridgewater, 28, and Lock, 24, was “pretty damn close” following their preseason performances.

“I think it’s close for a good reason,” Fangio said. “They both have played well. The good news of this competition is we have two quarterbacks we think we can go win with.”

In Saturday’s win over Seattle, Fangio endorsed Bridgewater’s ability to “manipulate the pocket” after he completed 9 of 11 passes for 105 yards, which resulted in touchdowns on both drives.

Although Lock had an impressive performance as a starter in Denver’s preseason opener against Minnesota, Bridgewater’s show as a starter against Seattle that set him apart in the race.

Lock, a 2019 second-round pick by the Broncos, went 9 of 14 with 80 yards against the Seahawks and had gone 5 of 7 for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Broncos’ 33-6 win over Minnesota. Lock has an 8-10 record over his first 18 regular-season starts.

Last year, Lock tied for the most interceptions (15) in the NFL and was last among the league’s starters in completion percentage (57.3 percent).

Meanwhile with the Panthers, Bridgewater had the fifth-highest completion percentage in the NFL at 69.1.

Bridgewater landed in Denver when the Panthers traded him for a sixth-round selection after acquiring former Jets quarterback Sam Darnold in April. He was 4-11 as a starter for the Panthers in 2020.

Bridgewater went 5-0 as Drew Brees’ replacement during injury for the Saints in 2019. He is 26-23 in his career as a QB in Minnesota, New Orleans and Carolina.