The Denver Broncos were the latest NFL team forced to rethink their gameplan due to COVID-19 protocols. They entered their Week Week 12 matchup against the New Orleans Saints without a quarterback on their roster because they were all disqualified for breaking protocol.
It was a unique situation that several people believed would lead to a forfeit, but the Broncos decided to find a way and make it work. They had wide receiver Kendall Hinton step in and play quarterback for the first time in years, something he did at Wake Forest in college.
The Saints had a quarterback conundrum as well, with Drew Brees sidelined due to a rib injury. They have Jameis Winston on the bench but have been rolling with Taysom Hill at quarterback the past two weeks. It seems to be working for them as they won their second straight on Sunday.
Why Didn’t the Broncos Have a Quarterback?
It all started when third-string quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19. The test came back on Thursday and caused the NFL to do a brief review for contact tracing reasons. After the review, the league disqualified all three of the Broncos’ other quarterbacks.
It was later revealed that Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, and Blake Bortles were near Jeff Driskel at practice. To make matters worse, none of them were wearing masks, and they were all listed as high-risk due to contact. It was a less-than-ideal situation for a team already struggling.
The news also came on the heels of the San Francisco 49ers finding out they won’t be able to play games at their stadium due to a temporary local ban on contact sports. Not only are fans not allowed in the stadium, but players aren’t even allowed to play.
Saints Weren’t Fooled By Anything
The New Orleans Saints were left preparing for a team that didn’t have a quarterback. The two emergency options on the Broncos’ roster were running back Royce Freeman and practice squad wide receiver Hinton. It was clear the wildcat offense would be used a lot.
And it was. The Broncos actually started the game with that play, and while Hinton played quarterback most of the game, we didn’t see much through the air. In fact, we only saw 13 yards through the air as Hinton completed just 1-of-9 passes — a 13-yarder to Noah Fant.
Of Hinton’s eight incompletions, two of them were interceptions. The three-headed running back group in Freeman, Melvin Gordon III, and Phillip Lindsay combined for 101 yards, but the team failed to score a touchdown. The game ended 31-3 in the Saints’ favor.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens moving forward with the Broncos and 49ers. San Francisco was supposed to play at home next Monday night, and the Broncos are scheduled to play on Sunday night. It’s just another week of uncertainty for NFL teams, but what else is new?
The games will still happen, but the 49ers need a new home stadium to play in, and the Broncos need to hope their quarterbacks are ready to go.