Teddy Bridgewater named Denver Broncos starting quarterback

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos are going with the steady over the spectacular.

Coach Vic Fangio informed the team Wednesday morning that Teddy Bridgewater has edged incumbent Drew Lock to win the starting quarterback job.

Bridgewater was a first-round draft pick of the Vikings in 2014 and was with them through 2017 before moving on to the Jets, Saints, Panthers and now the Broncos. With the Vikings, he was sidelined by a serious knee injury suffered during a preseason practice on Aug. 30, 2016.

For much of training camp, the QB clash was a drudging one in which neither passer strung together stellar performances from one day to the next, and sometimes not even from one drill to another.

Both of them elevated their play in the preseason, however.

Lock had a splashy game at Minnesota in the preseason opener but Bridgewater won the job with a stellar relief performance against the Vikings and an outstanding start at Seattle.

Lock's preseason included an 80-yard touchdown throw to K.J. Hamler and just Tuesday he began practice with a 60-yard dime to Jerry Jeudy. But he continued to scuffle in three-wide formations and didn't show as much huddle command, pre-snap management, pocket awareness and precision as Bridgewater did.

Bridgewater will become the 11th quarterback to start for Denver since Peyton Manning retired after winning Super Bowl 50. Manning was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this month.

The Broncos are 32-48 since he retired, including Lock's 8-10 mark in the last season and a-half. Bridgewater is 26-23 in his career in Minnesota, New Orleans and Carolina.