Ask Aric: What is the biggest takeaway from Denver's win in New England?

[Miles]

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — It's Chiefs Week here in Denver.


After a huge win in New England, the Broncos have a chance to improve to 3-3 and throw themselves firmly back into the playoff race.


In this edition of "Ask Aric," we've got a packed mailbag after a victory over the Pats. We take a look at some of the biggest moments and decisions in the win over New England and look ahead to an opportunity against Kansas City.


To submit a question for a future mailbag, click here.


One quick thought is that it is not fair for the Chiefs to add Bell (UGH). At this point in a very interesting season everything actually looks great and improving, with players returning. However, there is one major issue I see and that is that the long-range accuracy of Drew Lock is somewhat lacking, that and a few poorly timed drops. Do you agree that Lock's accuracy is something that will most likely increase as he gets more game reps with the receivers? — William L.


William, I think it's clear from watching Sunday that Drew Lock's deep-ball accuracy was far better against the Patriots than it was against the Titans. You could argue that all four of his attempts against Tennessee were a bit off target. In New England, he was largely on the money. According to the NFL's Next Gen Stats, Lock attempted six passes of at least 30 yards. He completed two of those passes, including a 35-yard catch on third-and-21, and two of the others were in the receivers' hands and dropped. He did throw an interception on his deepest attempt of the day, which was nearly 45 yards down the middle of the field, and he almost threw another when targeting Tim Patrick in the end zone when the backside corner dropped off his man. Still, that sort of improvement from one game to the next was encouraging, especially since Lock hadn't played in several weeks. As he gets more practice time and game reps with his teammates, that should only improve. Lock was a vaunted deep-ball thrower at Missouri, and the threat of him completing several of those passes again might be the Broncos offense's biggest weapon.


What was your biggest positive takeaway from the win? And what in the world is the key to NOT losing a 10th consecutive game to KC? — Arick V.


Arick, good name. It's hard to pick just one thing, but I guess I'd wrap everything up by saying I think Sunday proved that the Broncos should be competitive in almost every game this season. We've already seen that against really good teams in the Titans and Steelers, and with Drew Lock back at quarterback, there's no reason that shouldn't continue. There were tons of reasons why the Broncos could have lost Sunday's game. Lock hadn't played in three weeks. The Broncos were missing Noah Fant, Melvin Gordon III and KJ Hamler on offense. They hadn't competed in a game in 17 days. The Patriots were at home, and the Broncos had to flyacross the country and play the early game. Cam Newton and Stephon Gilmore were both back for the Patriots. The list goes on. It certainly would've been understandable if the Broncos lost to a team that has traditionally been dominant at home. Instead, the Broncos dominated both lines of scrimmage for most of the game, strung together drives on offense and made huge plays on defense. With the exception of a couple of late miscues, the Broncos were clearly the better team on Sunday.


That does two things for this Broncos team. First, it's a mental boost. This team should now know — if it didn't already — that it can go on the road and beat a good team. The win over the Jets counts the same in the standings, but this one was a measuring stick of sorts. The second boost this win gives the team is to its playoff chances. The Chiefs pose a challenging test Sunday, but the Broncos should look at the coming weeks on the schedule — or at least the fans should — and see a slate that could lead to the Broncos getting back to .500 or above .500 in the coming weeks. There's no reason with Lock under center, a defense that's clicking and a set of players poised to return that Denver can't make a run here. With a slew of teams bunched at two or three losses in the AFC, this race is not even close to over, even after an 0-3 start.


As for Kansas City, we'll get to that matchup more in a moment from a technical standpoint, but one thing is clear: The Broncos have to view this game as a singular contest. They can't let the streak create added pressure. After a win in New England, it seems the Broncos are mentally tough enough to have the correct attitude and perspective.


Are the drops we're seeing in the receiving corps due to a lack of offseason preparation, or is it just natural to expect with rookie/young offensive weapons? - Caleb S.


Caleb, I think it's probably a mix of both. The team's young players lost out on hundreds of reps from the lack of an offseason program, and that definitely has an impact on their play so far. I also think certain drops — like the ones from Jerry Jeudy early in the season and Albert Okwuegbunam on Sunday — are natural to expect early in a player's career as they get used to the speed of the game and the limited separation they can get from defenders. We haven't seen those drops persist with Jeudy, and I expect Okwuegbunam to learn from those mistakes, as well. I also think there was a certain element of bad luck on Sunday with all the drops happening at once. I think that was a rarity that is unlikely to repeat itself.