The NFL’s inconsistent and frustratingly late decision to forbid from playing the entire quarterback depth chart for the Denver Broncos can certainly excuse some of what the team put on the field against the New Orleans Saints. While he certainly gave it his all, Kendall Hinton was put in an impossible spot. But unfortunately for Denver and Broncos Country, this excuse can only take you so far.
In what is certainly the weirdest game ever played, at least as far as these two franchises are concerned, the defense showed guts and the coaches gave the fans pause. If Denver wants to beat the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs next week, or at least keep the score competitive, they will need to dig down deep to avoid many of the same pitfalls that befell them against New Orleans.
The Weirdest Game Ever Played: Taysom Hill vs Kendall Hinton
The Good
Despite losing by 28, the Broncos did manage to etch out a few silver linings. These bright spots—namely the guts of the defense, limiting Taysom Hill as a passer, and Royce Freeman—are important for fans and the team alike to hold onto as preparations for Kansas City begin.
Despite the inefficiency of the New Orleans passing offense, the run game for the Saints proved particularly efficient. Even as the offense continued to go three-and-out and turn the ball over on needlessly deep passes and botched snaps, the defense continued to put their guts on display. While there are certainly no moral victories in professional football, the defense can use their gritty efforts as a stepping stone to give the Chiefs a tougher challenge than they did in late October.
DeMarcus Walker and Bradley Chubb accrued three sacks on Taysom Hill, costing the Saints nearly 20 percent of their net passing yardage output, while undrafted free agent rookie Essang Bassey grabbed the first interception of his career. With five more tackles for loss, the defense played harder than most might expect in their situation.
Taysom Hill’s completion percentage dwindled after his performance against the Atlanta Falcons, dropping from 78.26 percent to 56.25 percent— more than a 22 percent decrease. Even with questionable decisions working out (like Bradley Chubb, the team’s most effective pass rusher, dropping deep into coverage), the team’s performance against the passing attack was possibly the most noteworthy aspect of the team’s overall performance.
In what may be the one and only bright spot on the offensive side of the football, the team’s third running back, Royce Freeman, showed flashes of explosiveness while toting the football. Freeman averaged 6.25 yards per carry, accruing 50 total yards to boast nearly as many yards on the ground as the entire rest of the team combined. Freeman certainly should have attempted a pass or two, especially considering Kendall Hinton’s embarrassingly ineffectual play at quarterback, but this probably would not have made much of a difference against a 28-point deficit.
The Bad
Unfortunately, the offensive line took a significant step back after a dominating performance against the Miami Dolphins. The New Orleans front seven continuously powered deep into the backfield without much effort or schematic nuance, limiting the offense to 112 yards, less than half of the yardage the Saints earned. While Hinton was only sacked once for a loss of a single yard, the offensive line failed to establish the run and appeared dejected for most of the game.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Broncos defense did, in fact, have some bad levels of play throughout the game. Even with the offense’s ineffectuality, a defense giving up more than 30 points is also their responsibility.
The interior pressure was mostly non-existent against New Orleans, which, like the offensive line’s performance, is night-and-day from the Miami game. With Malik Reed pushing into the backfield far too narrow to adequately set the edge, the lack of interior pressure allowed Hill to step up to pass and to escape on the run, which allowed the quarterback to accrue 44 yards and two scores on the ground.
These compounding issues spelled disaster for the Broncos, but maddeningly enough they were not the worst issues for the team.
The Ugly
Every quarterback on the roster became ineligible on Saturday, less than a day before kickoff. By no means is it unsurprising the offense floundered and never found even a semblance of footing. With that said, offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur continuously failed to utilize the talent on the field, to call plays that made any sense whatsoever (contextually or otherwise), and to help Kendall Hinton in any way. After the team fired Rich Scangarello following a single season as the team’s offensive coordinator, Pat Shurmur’s inability to adapt or scheme to talent has many members of Broncos Country calling for a second consecutive one-and-done run calling the offense.
Even in light of Shurmur’s frustratingly inept play-calling against New Orleans, Kendall Hinton’s performance was rough. With a solitary completion (on a screen, no less) and twice that many interceptions, Hinton’s time at quarterback was demoralizing for fans, perhaps more so than even Tim Tebow, Paxton Lynch, or Trevor Siemian’s tenures with the team. He continuously vacated clean pockets, sailed passes overhead, and failed to surpass a 12 percent completion percentage.
Shurmur certainly did not help, calling a high number of intermediate and deep routes. Considering Hinton appeared unable to hit water if he fell out of a boat, one would reasonably expect the offensive coordinator to employ screens, slants, run/pass options, touch-pass plays, and any number of other quick throws for high completion percentages. The Saints had no trouble doing this for Taysom Hill’s first start, but Pat Shurmur clearly did in the weirdest game ever played by the Broncos.
Heading into this game, the Broncos boasted one of the best redzone defenses in the league, particularly against the run. Despite this fact, the New Orleans rushing attack pulverized the Broncos defense in the red zone, allowing Taysom Hill to score on the ground twice for the second straight week. If the Broncos defense hopes to be able to keep the score close when the offense is as anemic as this one is, they will need to tighten up in the redzone.
Moving Forward Without Kendall Hinton Starting
Most do not expect the Broncos to defeat the 10-1 Chiefs in Week 13, and for good reason. Even with Drew Lock ostensibly returning to the field, this team is not where it needs to be to compete with teams like Kansas City. Patience is still necessary, of course, but there are glaring issues in many aspects of this team—on the field, in the coaching staff, and in the owner’s box alike—all of which need addressing if this team is ever to return to the postseason.
Against New Orleans, Denver suffered a rather demoralizing defeat in perhaps the weirdest game ever played in franchise history. Neither team started a traditional quarterback or utilized a conventional gameplan on the offensive side of the ball, harkening back to the days where the passing offense was not the be-all, end-all.
Needless to say, it did not work out whatsoever.
At 4-7 with a daunting tilt against Kansas City looming on the horizon, frustration is understandably at a high in Broncos Country. Fans have to hope this was rock bottom for the Denver Broncos.
The good news?
Rock bottom teaches lessons the mountaintops never could.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
