The Denver Broncos won't be playing games beyond December, but they've been given a glimmer of hope for the future with Drew Lock. Following Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions, Lock received a vote of confidence from Vic Fangio as a potential franchise quarterback.

“He's done enough to show he definitely could be the guy, and we're looking for that to be the case,” Fangio said.

The Broncos selected Lock with the 42nd overall pick in hopes he could become the future of the franchise. Ever since Peyton Manning retired in 2015, Denver has been searching for his replacement.

Since Manning's departure, fans of the Broncos have watched the likes of Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, and Case Keenum. A neck injury for Joe Flacco forced the Broncos to thrust Lock into the starting lineup sooner than they expected.

Nevertheless, the rookie signal-caller has risen to the occasion in his first four starts. Over the past month, Lock has completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 843 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Lock has won three of his starts and has been a bright spot on a dismal season for the Broncos. Besides Fangio, Phillip Lindsay showed his support for the first-year quarterback.

“He's going out there and he's proving himself,” running back Phillip Lindsay of Lock said after Sunday's win. “He's calm, cool and collected, and he understands what he needs to work on and what he's good at. The thing is, he can move out of the pocket and he's a game-changer. … All I can say for Drew is, he's doing a hell of a job and he's going to only get better.”

It's too soon to assume that Lock is going to be the long-term solution for the Broncos. At the least, Lock has shown enough for fans to be optimistic about the future of the franchise.