ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Since Peyton Manning retired, the narrative around the Denver Broncos has been if they can find a long-term answer at quarterback, the future will be secure.
Whether that quarterback will be Drew Lock is yet to be determined. But even if he is the answer, there are plenty of other questions. The Broncos guaranteed their third consecutive losing season and fourth consecutive playoff miss with their ninth straight loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. There are far more issues to repair if the Broncos want to return to their winning ways.
As star linebacker Von Miller said Sunday: "Drew is definitely the future; it's everybody around, it's guys got to get open, offensive line has got to block, got to run the ball, just cliché little stuff. Drew's doing what he needs to do. Defense has to stop the run, got to rush the passer, got to play tight coverage.
"I sound like a broken record, saying the same thing. We found a quarterback, we got a great quarterback, everybody else got to come along -- offense, defense, special teams. You can't just lean on one guy."
This week the Detroit Lions arrive in Denver to face the Broncos on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS), and bring a cautionary tale with them. Quarterback Matthew Stafford, who the Lions placed on injured reserve Tuesday and hasn't played since Week 9 because of bone fractures in his back and a hip injury, has been every bit a franchise quarterback since he was the first overall pick by the Lions in the 2009 draft.
He has thrown for at least 4,000 yards seven times and has 41,025 career passing yards, which ranks 18th on the NFL's all-time list right behind Dan Fouts. But his record in 149 games is 69-79-1, and while he has been the Lions' answer at quarterback it has not come with playoff success. He has played in three postseason games -- none since 2016 -- and hasn't won any of them.
As former Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer said: "You got to have that guy at quarterback, but you still have to have that team around him. Even [John Elway], one of the greatest ever, had to have T.D. [Terrell Davis] and the rest of that team around him. Because it's hard to win, man, you've got to have a team ready to have the guy at QB and the guy at QB who is ready to lift that team."
Lock has demonstrated his potential in three starts. The second-round pick out of Missouri in last April's draft has passed for 651 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He is completing 61% of his passes after spending most of the season on injured reserve. But even as he was dealing with the expected growing pains of Arrowhead Stadium in a snowstorm Sunday -- he was 18-of-40 passing with an interception -- it was clear the Broncos didn't have answers for so many other things.
Everybody with the Broncos wants to return to the glory days -- the four straight AFC West titles, two Super Bowl appearances and one title that came with Manning. But it's going to take more than an answer at quarterback.
"Biggest missing piece? We haven't got just a missing piece," Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. "We need a lot of pieces."