The Broncos were uncertain until five minutes before pregame warmups Sunday that Teddy Bridgewater would be available. The Broncos had visions of Kendall Hinton dancing in their heads.
Denver was forced to use Hinton, a former college quarterback turned receiver, at quarterback in a game last season after its entire quarterbacks room was ineligible to play due to COVID-19 protocols. On Sunday morning, backup quarterback Drew Lock tested positive for COVID-19.
“We had a scare in the morning,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio admitted. “Thought it might’ve been Kendall Hinton, the sequel.”
Ryan O’Halloran of The Denver Post reports Lock reported to the team he was a close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. Lock tested negative Saturday, allowing him to fly with the team.
But Lock, who is vaccinated, tested positive before the game.
As a close contact of Lock, Bridgewater would have had to miss Sunday’s game if he wasn’t vaccinated. Still, he had to pass a COVID-19 test before being cleared.
“They tested me (Sunday) morning, and there was an error so I had to wait for results to come back,” said Bridgewater, who wore a mask to his postgame news conference as a precaution. “I didn’t have to get swabbed again.”
Bridgewater went 19-of-28 for 249 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 30-16 upset of the Cowboys.