Broncos QB Russell Wilson (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
We openly admit it. Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos looked like a standout duel over the summer.
The Colts were coming off a nine-win season and adding quarterback Matt Ryan in the offseason. The Broncos had the league’s third-ranked goal defense in 2021 and added a future Hall of Famer in Russell Wilson.
But Indy OT’s 12-9 win Thursday night was a snoozer that produced more social media jokes than offensive fireworks.
Wade Phillips @sonofbum
I think both teams should consider stabbing for first place.
Although the defense played well, this was a demonstration of poor quarterback play – a far cry from what we would have expected a few months ago.
In the past few weeks, the potential for a sluggish, low-scoring game has become clear. Neither offense had got off the ground, and neither had gotten great quarterback play. The Broncos scored just 66 points on their 2-2 start while the Colts had just 57 points on their 1-2-1 run.
To be fair, both teams have fundamental problems. Denver has been plagued by questionable play-calling and clock management. Time management issues forced rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett to do so rent a director’s assistant. But that didn’t solve the confusing game selection, especially late in the fourth quarter and overtime.
The Colts lack receiver depth behind Michael Pittman Jr. and have an offensive line with some question marks. On Thursday, Indy attempted to move Matt Pryor from left to right and add rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann to the lineup. The Colts’ pass protection was abominable as the Broncos sacked Ryan six times.
Ross Tucker @RossTuckerNFL
Stallions are a perfect example of why 5 Average OL > 3 Above Average & 2 Below Average OL.
And both teams were shorthanded on Thursday’s run back. The Colts were without Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and lost Nyheim Hines to concussion early in the game. The Broncos lost Javonte Williams for the season to a cruciate ligament rupture on Sunday.
Still, the Colts and Broncos should get more from their quarterbacks, and neither of them helped his team much Thursday.
Ryan finished 26 of 41 for 251 yards with two interceptions. Wilson finished 21 of 39 for 274 yards, two picks and four sacks. Both threw bad interceptions, looked shy in the pocket, missed open recipients and failed to consistently threaten the defense deeply.
Big games through the air were few and far between.
Prime Video Sports Analytics & Insights @PVSportsStats
No QB tonight had success throwing the ball over 10 air yards, together they are
1/9, 18 yards and -62.3% completion percentage above expected
Moving the chains proved difficult throughout the evening. Indianapolis converted just 25 percent of its third-down opportunities. Denver only converted 13 percent.
Combined, the two teams were 6 of 31 in third place. They ran a total of 144 plays and only had 37 combined first downs. Of course, penalties didn’t help (15 total), but the offensive struggles were largely the result of poor quarterback play.
Both quarterbacks sped up the pace for stretches — we saw 681 total yards of offense — but this was still a touchdown-less game. It probably shouldn’t have gone into overtime, but Wilson threw a red zone interception with enough time normally for Ryan to put in a final drive.
NFL @NFL
This game is really something else. An end zone interception for the @colts, and Indy is still at it! 😮#INDvsDEN on PrimeVideo
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/qcjXnKGOp7 pic.twitter.com/95qRekrIi6
It was, of course, a field goal drive that opened up overtime.
It’s safe to say that the Colts and Broncos aren’t getting what they’ve traded for in new quarterbacks yet. This is a trend that was largely the case for teams that traded for newcomers in 2022.
Indy’s 2021 starter Carson Wentz (82.3 rating) was average at best for the 1-3 Washington Commanders. Ditto for Baker Mayfield (75.0) and the 1-3 Carolina Panthers.
Washington and Carolina likely viewed Wentz and Mayfield as upgrades over Taylor Heinicke (85.9 rating in 2021) and Sam Darnold (71.9), respectively. Neither was real. Few saw these teams as playoff caliber, however, and that’s where they differ from the two we saw Thursday.
For teams that think they can just land a new “franchise QB,” this game should serve as a cautionary tale.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Tom Brady in 2020 and won a Super Bowl right away. The Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford last year and did the same. However, acquiring a Pro Bowl or former Pro Bowl quarterback doesn’t make a mediocre team a title contender.
And mediocre is exactly what the Colts and Broncos are.
A 37-year-old immobile quarterback wasn’t the right quarterback for an Indianapolis run first team with inconsistent pass protection. At the very least, acquiring Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons only cost a third-round pick in 2022.
If Ryan keeps fighting, it shouldn’t set Indianapolis back more than a year.
Things were even more disappointing for Wilson and the Broncos. Winning him and a fourth-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks cost a huge package—two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, Drew Lock, Shelby Harris and Noah Fant.
Unless Wilson’s game improves significantly and quickly, Denver could be set back years.
With a combination of Lock and Bridgewater as quarterbacks, the Broncos ranked 19th in passing yards and 16th in net yards per attempt last season. On Thursday they finished 18th and 16th respectively.
Earning points was a struggle to say the least.
ESPN stats and info @ESPNStatsInfo
After intercepting Russell Wilson, the Broncos are 3-0 in the red zone tonight and have TD on just 23% of their red zone trips this season.
This is the lowest score of any team in 5 games since 2010 (Carolina – 22%, Washington – 23%).
This isn’t the kind of cooking the Broncos would have expected with Wilson in the kitchen.
At this point we point out that any of these teams could catch fire at any time. The Colts will get Taylor back, which should spark some offense and help keep the passing rush away from Ryan. Wilson, Hackett and the Broncos offense could finally get on the same page.
However, it is extremely unlikely that the trade for Wilson or Ryan will result in a Super Bowl in 2022, which perhaps should have been expected.
Yes, we’ve seen Brady and Stafford deliver championships quickly with their new teams in recent years. The reality, however, is that there just aren’t that many teams that are actually a quarterback away.