The Denver Broncos lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the second half of their game against the Baltimore Ravens after he suffered a head injury and concussion on the last play in the first half.
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Odafe Oweh dinged Bridgewater with a helmet-to-helmet hit late in the second quarter on a third-and-long situation. Backup quarterback Drew Lock played the second half for the Broncos, who lost their first game of the season 23-7.
“I saw Teddy on the ground, he didn’t look too well,” said tackle Garett Bolles. “I love Teddy dearly, I hope it’s not too bad.”
Before the head injury, Bridgewater completed 7-of-16 passes for 65 yards and one touchdown pass to tight end Noah Fant.
With Lock under center, the Broncos were shut out in the second half. Lock finished the game with 12-of-21 passing for 113 yards and one interception. He was also sacked twice.
Coming into Week 4, Bridgewater was second in the NFL in completion percentage at 76.8%. Bridgewater, nicknamed “Teddy Covers” because of his ability to beat the spread as a starting quarterback, led the Broncos to a 3-0 record straight up and against the spread to start the season.
Bridgewater entered the NFL’s concussion protocol. The Broncos will monitor his progress throughout the week. If Bridgewater improves during the week, he’ll be able to suit up for Denver’s Week 5 tilt against the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Sunday evening, oddsmakers opened the Steelers and Broncos game as a pick’em. As of Monday morning, the Broncos are now +1.
The Broncos had a rash of injuries to their wide receivers with Jerry Jeudy (ankle) and KJ Hamler (knee), but the last thing they need is to lose Bridgewater for an extended amount of time.
Lock lost the starting job in the preseason after the Broncos acquired Bridgewater in a trade with the Carolina Panthers. In 13 starts with the Broncos last season, Lock is only 4-9. In 2020, an inconsistent Lock completed less than 57% of his passes for worst in the NFL. Lock tossed 16 touchdowns, but was tied for the NFL lead with 15 interceptions.
