Broncos QB Russell Wilson (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
We’ll freely admit it. Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos looked like a stellar matchup over the summer.
The Colts were coming off a nine-win season and added quarterback Matt Ryan in the offseason. The Broncos had the league’s third-ranked scoring defense in 2021 and added a future Hall of Famer in Russell Wilson.
But the 12-9 Indy OT win Thursday night was a snoozer that produced more social media jokes than offensive fireworks.
Although the defense played well, this was an exhibition of bad quarterback play—a far cry from what we would have expected a few months ago.
Over the past few weeks, the potential for a sluggish low-scoring game became apparent. Neither offense was rolling, and neither was getting great quarterback play. The Broncos scored just 66 points during their 2-2 start, while the Colts had just 57 during their 1-2-1 run.
To be perfectly fair, both teams have underlying issues. Denver has been plagued by questionable play-calling and clock management. Struggles with managing time forced rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett to hire a game-management assistant. But that didn’t solve the bewildering play selection, especially late in the fourth quarter and in overtime.
The Colts lack receiver depth behind Michael Pittman Jr. and have an offensive line with some question marks. Thursday, Indy tried moving Matt Pryor from left to right tackle and inserting rookie left tackle Bernhard Raimann into the lineup. The Colts’ pass protection was abhorrent, as the Broncos sacked Ryan six times.
And both teams were short-handed at running back Thursday. The Colts were without Jonathan Taylor (ankle) and lost Nyheim Hines early in the game to a concussion. The Broncos lost Javonte Williams for the season to a torn ACL on Sunday.
Still, the Colts and Broncos should be getting more from their quarterbacks, and neither did much to help his team 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 taken. Both threw bad interceptions, appeared skittish in the pocket, missed open receivers and failed to consistently threaten deep defenses.
Big plays through the air were few and far between.
Moving the chains proved to be difficult throughout the evening. Indianapolis converted just 25 percent of its third-down opportunities. Denver converted a mere 13 percent.
Combined, the two teams were 6-of-31 on third down. They ran a combined 144 plays and had only 37 combined first downs. Of course, penalties didn’t help (15 combined), but the offensive struggles were largely the product of poor quarterback play.
Both quarterbacks picked up the pace for stretches—we saw 681 yards of total offense—but this was still a game without a touchdown. It probably shouldn’t have gone to overtime, but Wilson threw a red-zone interception with enough time left in regulation for Ryan to mount one final drive.
NFL @NFL
This game is really something else. An end zone interception for the @Colts, and Indy is still in this! ?#INDvsDEN on Prime Video
Also available on NFL+ https://t.co/qcjXnKGOp7 pic.twitter.com/95qRekrIi6
It was, of course, a field-goal drive that opened up an extra period.
It’s safe to say that, to this point, the Colts and Broncos aren’t getting what they traded for in new quarterbacks. It’s a trend that has largely been the case for teams that traded for new starters in 2022.
Indy’s 2021 starter, Carson Wentz (82.3 rating), has been average at best for the 1-3 Washington Commanders. The same can be said 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 really has been. Few saw those teams as playoff-caliber, though, which is where they differ from the two we saw on Thursday.
For teams thinking they can just scoop up a new “franchise QB,” this game should serve as a cautionary tale.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Tom Brady in 2020 and immediately won a Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Rams traded for Matthew Stafford last year and did the same. However, acquiring a Pro Bowl—or former Pro Bowl—quarterback won’t make a mediocre team a title contender.
And mediocre is exactly what the Colts and Broncos are.
A 37-year-old immobile quarterback was not the right quarterback for a run-first Indianapolis team with inconsistent pass protection. At least acquiring Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons only costs a 2022 third-round pick.
If Ryan continues to struggle, it shouldn’t set Indianapolis back more than a year.
Things have been even more disappointing for Wilson and the Broncos. Acquiring him and a fourth-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks cost a massive package—two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, Drew Lock, Shelby Harris and Noah Fant.
If Wilson’s play does not improve significantly and quickly, Denver could be set back for years.
With a combination of Lock and Bridgewater at quarterback, the Broncos ranked 19th in passing yards and 16th in net yards per attempt last season. Coming into Thursday, they ranked 18th and 16th, respectively.
Scoring points has been a struggle, to say the least.
This is not the kind of cooking the Broncos expected with Wilson in the kitchen.
Here’s where we point out that either of these teams could catch fire at any time. The Colts will get Taylor back, which should spark some offense and help keep the pass rush away from Ryan. Wilson, Hackett and the Broncos offense may finally get on the same page.
However, it feels extremely unlikely that trading for Wilson or Ryan will yield a Super Bowl in 2022, which perhaps should have been expected.
Yes, we’ve watched Brady and Stafford quickly deliver championships with their new teams over the past few years. The reality, though, is that there just aren’t that many teams truly a quarterback away.