On Sunday afternoon, the Denver Broncos took the field at Empower Field to play the New Orleans Saints. The biggest problem for Denver wasn’t the Saints though. It was the fact that they didn’t have a true quarterback on their team as all four of their QBs were ruled out due to Covid restrictions.
It started earlier in the week when back-up QB Jeff Driskel was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Once it was determined that the three other quarterbacks, including starter Drew Locke, didn’t wear masks and were exposed to Driskel, they were deemed ineligible as well. So with no QBs left on the roster and without the time to sign one, the Broncos were forced to go with a combination of the wildcat and receiver/former college QB (briefly), Kendall Hinton.
The outcome was predictable. No movement and lots of incompletions and interceptions, resulting in the home team being blown out 31-3. To their credit, the Broncos did score on a field goal, thus avoiding the shutout. But the damage was done, and it was damage that could have been limited, or even prevented if the league had done the right thing and postpone the game. Instead, they subjected the Broncos and their fans to an afternoon of torture and embarrassment.
For a league that closely guards the shield and protects their quarterbacks in every way, they sure fumbled this decision. If the Steelers vs. Ravens game could be moved from Thursday night to Wednesday afternoon due to Covid tests, they could have postponed this game as well.
This is an opinion that Broncos’ safety Kareem Jackson shared. He acknowledged that his teammates messed up by not following Covid protocols, but he rightly questioned the league’s decision to go ahead with the game.
“I feel like maybe (the game) could have been moved, but at the same time, maybe the league was making an example of us as far as maybe not doing the things we needed to do in that particular room, that quarterback room,” said Jackson after the loss, per ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. “Obviously, the guys didn’t follow their protocols, and for (the NFL) to see that, I guess they felt like they had to make an example, so at the end of (the) day, it is what it is.”
“Obviously, it’s our guys’ fault for not wearing their masks, but at least maybe move the game to the next day or whenever so we’re given a fighting chance,” continued Jackson. “(It’s) obviously disappointing. I’m not sure why it wasn’t moved. I have no clue … as a competitor, definitely frustrating.”
Frustrating is an understatement. Having to watch the team gain just 112 total yards was boring, sad, and embarrassing. Even more maddening is learning that the team asked the NFL to move the game to Monday, or later, but were denied.
Some might wonder whether the league was punishing the Broncos for their obvious mishandling of Covid rules. Regardless, the league played the Broncos and their fans and embarrassed a player by allowing him to be baptized through fire in a role he had no business of assuming that way.
The league can simply brush their shoulders off by blaming it on a crazy season due to Covid. And the Broncos, in all honesty, are not making the playoffs, so this will go away quickly. But if you need another perspective, you could look at it the way the Saints’ Sean Payton did.
“I think it’s tough for all the [teams in different situations],” said Payton. “Look, this is a challenging year. I felt bad for the cardboard fans. It is what it is.”
