A Christmas embarrassment should be the final straw in Broncos Country
Dec 26, 2022, 6:00 AM | Updated: 7:15 am
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Embarrassing.
There have been a lot of words attached to the Broncos this season. They’ve been disappointing. They’ve been underwhelming. And they’ve been boring.
But on Sunday, in front of a national television audience on Christmas Day, they reached a new level of ineptitude. They were embarrassing.
It wasn’t just the 51-14 final score, although that was plenty bad. Denver never forced Los Angeles to punt, something that hasn’t happened in a Broncos game for 50 years. They threw four interceptions, including a pick-six in the fourth quarter. And they were never in the game, falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter.
But those things hardly scratched the surface when it came to eye-rolling moments on Sunday. There were plenty of other things that had Broncos Country looking for a place to hide.
First, there was Dalton Risner and Brett Rypien getting into a shoving match on the sidelines. The backup quarterback was upset that the Broncos porous offensive line wasn’t helping Russell Wilson to his feet after a sack. The starting left guard didn’t take kindly to the criticism, as he shoved Rypien and then was put in his place by Latavius Murray.
That’s dysfunction at its finest. A team fighting amongst itself is proof that they’re out of control.
In the midst of the chaos was Nathaniel Hackett, as the head coach was trying to diffuse the situation. He looked helpless, clueless and out of touch in the moment.
It’s hard not to think about what the late, great Alex Gibbs would’ve done in that moment. The legendary offensive line coach would’ve verbally undressed his players for their ridiculously poor effort and lack of accountability.
Hackett was trying to smooth things over. The head coach who wants to lead the NFL in hugs had no idea how to deal with the contentious moment.
The same can be said for after the game, when Randy Gregory got into a shoving match with a Rams offensive lineman. After getting yanked for committing a silly roughing-the-passer penalty that kept an L.A. drive alive, the Broncos pass rusher was still looking to mix things up after the final gun. It resulted in fisticuffs that interrupted Baker Mayfield’s postgame interview on CBS.
It was the latest example of a team that’s out of control. The Broncos are a rudderless ship, a franchise devoid of guidance and leadership.
As a result, they’re embarrassing themselves and their fan base.
Losing is one thing. Doing it in the fashion the Broncos did on Sunday is another matter.
Not only was Denver inept on the field, and they were in every possible way, but they were a disorganized, undisciplined mess before, during and after the game. The 51-14 score wasn’t the ugliest part of the afternoon.
For longtime Broncos fans, the game was reminiscent of other blowouts that ultimately led to head coaches getting fired. In 1994, Denver lost 48-16 to the Raiders in Week 3. The loss sent them to 0-3, but the embarrassing nature of the defeat was what ultimately got Wade Phillips fired. In 2010, the situation was similar, when a 59-14 loss to Oakland ultimately did in Josh McDaniels, much more than “Spygate 2” or his poor people skills.
Sunday fell into that same category. It was the type of game that was so unacceptable that it required immediate action. It was a defeat that eliminated all fragments of optimism.
It doesn’t matter that the Broncos have played a lot of close games. The newness of a first-time head coach and recently acquired quarterback is immaterial. The quirky schedule early in the season is ancient history.
A 51-14 loss on Christmas Day, with a sideline fight between teammates and a postgame scuffle with the opponent, trumps all of those excuses. It’s proof that the current regime is in over their heads. It’s evidence that they have no control of the situation.
It’s hard to believe that Greg Penner doesn’t grasp this fact. Surely, the Broncos new owner can see the evidence in front of him.
If so, he’ll make sweeping changes. Hackett and the rest of his coaching staff, a group of buddies who treated the 2022 season like a boys weekend, should be gone. George Paton, the general manager who traded seven assets for Russell Wilson and then hitched the franchise to the QB through 2028, should also be shown the door.
That’s what happens when a debacle happens. That’s the fallout from a game like Sunday’s disaster in L.A.
The Broncos didn’t just lose. They embarrassed themselves.
When that happens, change must occur. There’s no other course of action.
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