ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Maybe Broncos quarterback Drew Lock is the lucky one. He gets paid good NFL money, without getting led to the slaughterhouse that turned our dreams for Joe Flacco, Paxton Lynch and Case Keenum into sausage.

“You get your bell rung a little bit,” said quarterback Brandon Allen, looking dazed and confused after Denver was buffaloed by the Bills here Sunday. “And you get right back to it.”

Next!

You scream, I scream, we all scream for the Broncos to give Lock a shot as the starter. But give the job to a raw rookie quarterback now, and Lock would get creamed. Like a scoop of ice cream that falls off a sugar cone on the sidewalk.

Splat!

Well, I’m a little slow on the uptick. But, as I watched Allen be the chew toy of the Bills, it occurred to me: The biggest problem with these Broncos might be even bigger than the quarterback.

While John Elway might be lousy at picking QBs, it might be so many of the other 52 NFL wannabe’s Elway has selected for this Denver roster are so bad almost any poor sap that takes the snap from center is doomed to failure.

One hit on Allen, after a completion to fullback Andrew Beck during the first quarter, was as wicked as anything you’ll see in a steel-cage match. What’s the lone redeeming characteristic of this Denver offensive line? It swings open easier than a dog door.

Woof!

Buffalo beat Denver 20-3. And that lopsided score did not reveal how little the Broncos appeared to care on a grey-and-windy November afternoon, which felt as ominous as the three cold-and-dark months of winter lurking around the corner.

For the first time in Vic Fangio’s brief tenure as coach, Denver looked as clueless and noncompetitive as a Vance Joseph team. Maybe the fighting spirit has finally been beaten out of the Broncos, whose record dropped to 3-8.

“The reality of it is, we got whipped,” linebacker Von Miller said.

The reality? By the start of the fourth quarter, the only thing the Broncos had any say about on this sad Sunday was what steakhouse Miller might pick for a happy meal when the team plane landed back in Colorado.

The Broncos managed only 42 offensive snaps against Buffalo, and at least 75 percent of them stunk. Denver went three-and-out on its last five possessions.

In his third start Allen, who threw a slap-the-forehead regrettable interception late in the first half, reminded us why he had never been given an opportunity to start in the NFL until age 27. After being limited to a single catch on eight targets, receiver Courtland Sutton was so miffed he had trouble finding words to express his frustration.

When I asked Sutton, usually a cool customer, why he was more frustrated than normal, he huffed: “We lost 20-3.”

The hue and cry in Broncos Country will be to activate Lock, who hasn’t been seen on the field in anything resembling a game situation since the ballyhooed draft pick sprained the thumb on his throwing hand in August.

With young Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, bypassed by Elway in the 2018 NFL draft in favor of linebacker Bradley Chubb, passing for two touchdowns and running for 56 yards against the Broncos, isn’t it about time we get a look at what Lock can do?

Running back Phillip Lindsay feels empathy for Allen, certain to hear calls to dump him as the starter after producing a net 49 passing yards against Buffalo, the worst output by any Denver quarterback in a game since 1992. “Everybody wants to get off the bandwagon. That’s just the way football is,” Lindsay said.

But why let Lock’s confidence, and possibly his body, be torn asunder by Chargers defensive lineman Joey Bosa? That would be cruel.

OK, at some point during the upcoming week of practice, it would probably be safe to declare Lock the No. 2 quarterback. But let Allen take the abuse for at least another week, as Lock adjusts his eyes to NFL game speed from a safe distance.

For a quarterback, the Denver huddle has become a black hole. From Brock Osweiler to Trevor Siemian, it swallows good men whole.

The next victim is Lock.

The Broncos has a QB problem. His name is Elway. He has picked a team that can’t win for losing.

So my advice to you, young Mr. Lock? Fake a doctor’s excuse. Take a comfy spot on the sofa next to the family dog. And stay away from the Denver huddle, very far away, for as long as possible.