QB Brandon Allen comes from obscurity to lead Broncos to win over Browns
Brandon Allen wasn’t exactly a household name before Joe Flacco’s season-ending injury became a big deal.
Imagine if someone told you a couple months ago that Allen outplayed Baker Mayfield in an NFL game. It happened Sunday. Mayfield again looked lost. Allen wasn’t great, but the Broncos still beat the Browns 24-19.
Allen was good enough. His teammates helped him out. Courtland Sutton had a great catch on a touchdown and Noah Fant broke three tackles and ran for a 75-yard touchdown. Allen, who had 193 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, did enough.
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Allen might not be the quarterback the Broncos have desperately sought, but he had a day he’ll remember forever.
Brandon Allen waited a long time
Allen was a sixth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars all the way back in 2016. He didn’t make his NFL debut until Sunday. That’s a long time to wait.
Allen was a pretty good quarterback at Arkansas, but not good enough to have a high draft stock. Physically, he didn’t stand out in any way. He was like most players on the end of rosters, hoping for a chance. It happened after his 27th birthday.
Flacco suffered a neck injury and went to injured reserve. Rookie second-round pick Drew Lock isn’t ready yet. Allen got the start on Sunday by default.
And he did the most with his opportunity.
Allen will get another chance
It’s possible this was the start of something big for Allen. When Kurt Warner took over for Trent Green, nobody knew Warner would end up in the Hall of Fame.
Most likely, Allen will get a few starts and the Broncos will want to see what they have in Lock, who they invested a high pick in.
Allen is used to the NFL’s hard road. He bounced around with the Jaguars, Rams and then Broncos before Flacco’s injury. He might have wondered if he’d ever get his shot, because not many quarterbacks get their first start after age 27.
If nothing else, Allen will have one big NFL highlight to his name.
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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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