Before Teddy Bridgewater makes his debut in the Mile High altitude, the Denver Broncos quarterback entered rarefied NFL air.
With Sunday's victory at Jacksonville, per Broncos PR chief Patrick Smyth, Bridgewater became only the fourth QB in league history to record two-plus passing touchdowns and no interceptions while completing at least 75% of his passes in each of his first two games of the season.
"Bridgewater joins Drew Brees (2018), Aaron Rodgers (2015) and Jeff George (1994) with this distinction," Smyth noted.
The seventh-year pro was superb against the Jaguars, finishing 26-of-34 (76.4%) for 328 yards, two TDs, and a 125.6 passer rating amid Denver's 23-13 triumph, which moved the club to 2-0. "Steady Teddy" again lived up to his nickname as the offense logged 398 total yards and 22 first downs across 11 drives, dominating time of possession (38:52-21:08).
"He's just a damn good quarterback," head coach Vic Fangio said after the game.
Heading into Week 3, Bridgewater has amassed 54 completions, 592 passing yards, and four TDs. Impressively, he's yet to commit a single turnover — neither an interception nor fumble — despite wanting to be more "greedy" through the air.
"I think we got out to a fast start. But not fast enough," Bridgewater said in his postgame press conference. "If we could have responded with them scoring the touchdown with our own touchdowns, then you could talk about getting off to a better start. I think room for it, but just keep putting an emphasis on starting fast being greedy. And hopefully get out on the first drive ... just punch them in."
Bridgewater should enjoy bountiful opportunity to further his historic output next Sunday, when the Broncos host the 0-2 New York Jets in the 2021 home opener at Empower Field.
And the journeyman, who might've finally found his place, receives a hero's welcome.
"Can't wait to get back home. 2-0, get to play in front of a packed DenverBroncos stadium," Bridgewater said. "I get to experience it this time playing for the Broncos. I experienced it the year the Broncos won a Super Bowl. I was with the Vikings. I can tell you right now, it's not a fun sight. Looking forward to that."
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