Broncos' Drew Lock doesn't have rib fracture but could still miss Dolphins game

The good news for Denver Broncos starting quarterback Drew Lock is that he didn't suffer a rib fracture during this past Sunday's 37-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. 

The bad news is that he still isn't guaranteed to take the field for this coming Sunday's showdown with the Miami Dolphins. 

As Jeff Legwold of ESPN reported, Lock is dealing with a "pretty severe strain and bruising" in his ribs but no break. It's believed he'll miss at least Wednesday's practice and is, at best, questionable to start against Miami. 

"That will definitely enter into the equation, you know, we definitely want Drew to have a good week of preparation so he's ready to play the game so that could enter into the equation as we go into the week," Denver head coach Vic Fangio told reporters on Monday when commenting about Lock potentially sitting multiple practices out. 

Lock missed the majority of the Week 2 contest versus the Pittsburgh Steelers after he went down with a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined the next two games. Both Brett Rypien and Jeff Driskel played during Lock's absence, and the Broncos also have former first-round pick Blake Bortles on their practice squad. 

Lock threw four interceptions and completed only 48.9% of his attempts (23-of-47) in the loss to Vegas, but he was visibly playing through pain following a hit in the second quarter. With the Broncos sitting at 3-6 overall, few would blame Fangio for shutting the 24-year-old signal-caller down through at least the weekend.