Teddy Bridgewater’s preseason performance won’t translate in September

Teddy Bridgewater played well on Saturday night. During his chance to be on the field with the starters during the preseason, the quarterback looked good.

On the night, Bridgewater completed nine of 11 passes, for 105 yards and a touchdown. While he was in the game, the Broncos scored 14 points.

It wasn’t as flashy as what Drew Lock posted during his stint with the ones. But it was equally efficient.

As a result, the QB competition may continue in Denver. The idea that Vic Fangio could delay naming a starter is definitely on the table.

During OTAs and minicamps, the quarterbacks were dead even. At training camp, they’ve been “even Steven.” And in the preseason games, both Bridgewater and Lock have played well.

So the Broncos head coach has plenty of ammo for defending his decision if he chooses to keep the 50/50 battle going another week. Fangio will be able to explain away the continuation of a months-long battle.

But it would still be foolishness. No matter what he cites as a rationale, the decision would be silly.

In reality, nothing has changed since Bridgewater was acquired in late April. The two options are still exactly the same.

Lock is the younger player with more upside. Bridgewater is the veteran who won’t make as many mistakes.

So the choice still comes down to a matter of philosophy. It’s still about what the Broncos want to be in 2021.

Do they want to take some shots on offense, trying to maximize their young talent on that side of the ball? If so, Lock is the best option to make the most of Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Noah Fant.

Or do they want to play it safe, content to be satisfied with any drive that ends in a kick? If so, Bridgewater is probably the way to go.

A problem arises, however, if Denver starts to think Bridgewater is something that he’s not. Things will get dicey is they believe he’s a quarterback who can post big numbers and put points on the board.

Some will use Saturday night’s performance against the Seahawks as an example that the veteran can be better than people think. They’ll cite the 14-point performance in Seattle as evidence that he’s more than just a game manager.

But in reality, it was nothing more than fool’s gold.

As good as Bridgewater was against the Seahawks, it’s not a performance that will translate to the regular season. The Broncos were following an unrealistic script.

If Fangio decides to go with Bridgewater, it will be because he wants to play things safe. If that’s the case, he will be conservative with his in-game decisions.

On Saturday night, he was just the opposite. On three occasions, the head coach went for it on fourth down when Bridgewater was in the game.

Denver was successful on all three occasions. But that’s not really the point. In a real game, when the results matter, Denver never would’ve gone for it three times.

Thus, the results of Bridgewater’s drives would’ve been vastly different.

The opening march that ended in a touchdown never would’ve happened. Facing fourth-and-five at the 40-yard line, Fangio would’ve punted the ball away.

The second drive was even more of a mirage. A fourth-and-one on the wrong side of midfield would’ve surely resulted in a punt. And fourth-and-one at the 25-yard line would’ve been a Brandon McManus field goal attempt.

In other words, the Broncos would’ve scored three points during Bridgewater’s two drives had Fangio played things straight up. In the real world, the veteran QB wouldn’t have been very productive.

Preseason games are always tricky to evaluate. Players are often going against opponents who won’t make the final roster, while playing alongside guys who won’t be playing come September.

But that’s not all that skews the results. The way a team handles situations is also unrealistic in the preseason.

On Saturday night, that was evident. The Broncos won’t be rolling the dice on fourth down much during the regular season. They certainly won’t be doing it three times on the first two drives.

That’s why Teddy Bridgewater’s performance needs to be taken with a grain of salt. It was a classic example of an exhibition game showing that won’t translate to the regular season.

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