KC Chiefs: What we learned about the AFC West after Week 12
What did we learn about the Denver Broncos?
Saturday was a weird day in NFL news, but the weirdest story of the day surrounded the Denver Broncos and their quarterback situation. One Broncos quarterback tested positive for COVID-19 and because the other three Broncos quarterbacks had been in close contact with him and didn’t wear masks, none were eligible to play in the game on Sunday.
The most 2020 scene of all: Denver's QBs were deemed high-risk, close contacts because they were not wearing their masks. The Broncos will hit the field Sunday against the Saints without a quarterback.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 28, 2020
That led to practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton getting the start at quarterback and – Well, it didn’t go well. Hinton completed just one pass for 13 yards and was picked off twice, meaning he was the first quarterback to throw more interceptions than completions since Ryan Leaf did so against the Chiefs in 1998.
As much as I dislike the Broncos, they were put in an impossible situation this weekend. Hinton was set up to fail and there’s no reason to bash him for doing everything he could to try to turn a bad situation into something positive. I respected him trying his best. The NFL definitely made an example of the Broncos when they failed to do the same thing to the Titans and the Ravens.
Denver lost 31-3 to a New Orleans Saints team that passed for just 78 yards and while I agree the quarterbacks should have been disciplined for not wearing masks, forcing these teams to play when other teams with actual outbreaks have been let off the hook makes no sense.
There was a game today.
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 29, 2020
The final score is what it is.
Undrafted rookie WIDE RECEIVER @Kendall_Hinton2 came off the practice squad, had zero practice reps and competed in his first NFL game as the Broncos’ QUARTERBACK—an unprecedented situation.
He deserves all the respect. pic.twitter.com/C4UpkPTZBQ
What we learned about the Broncos is that they’re likely out of playoff contention, but their defense is playing well enough to play spoiler to some of the contenders down the line. The quarterbacks let the team down this weekend and it’ll be interesting to see what happens at the position this offseason.
Next up: The Broncos try to rebound the best they can, but it won’t be easy, as they head to Kansas City for a Sunday night game against the defending Super Bowl champions. Why is this game on primetime?