With Joe Flacco injured, bad decisions leave Broncos in QB quandary
Oct 28, 2019, 1:07 PM | Updated: 2:56 pm
The hits just keep on coming for the Broncos. Not only are the team’s chances of making the postseason all but officially gone, but Denver now has to try to dig out a 2-6 hole without their starting quarterback.
On Monday, the team announced that Joe Flacco would miss Sunday’s game against the Browns.
Coach Fangio announced that Joe Flacco will not play this week due to a herniated disc in his neck.
QB Brandon Allen will start in #CLEvsDEN. pic.twitter.com/sW28XXehL7
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 28, 2019
During Sunday’s loss at Indianapolis, Flacco was seen on the sideline getting treatment on his neck. And then on the final play of the game, he took a blindside hit that would make a trip to the chiropractor all but a necessity.
With Flacco sidelined for at least this week, the question then becomes, What’s next for the Broncos?
After the game against Cleveland, Denver has its bye week, followed by seven games to close out the season. Who will be the quarterback in those games?
It’s certainly possible that Flacco returns, but a herniated disk isn’t something to take lightly. At 3-6 or 2-7, why put the veteran quarterback at risk?
Allen will make his debut this week, as the Broncos backup has never taken an NFL snap. The same can be said for the other two options, as well.
Drew Lock has been on injured reserve since the end of the preseason, but he’s eligible to be activated and could play this Sunday. Of course, he hasn’t practiced in eight weeks, so throwing him right into a game would be a dicey proposition.
That leaves Brett Rypien, who could be activated off of the practice squad. The rookie showed some promise during training camp, enough that the Broncos wanted to keep him in the building to see how he developed.
A look at those options makes it impossible not to question the Broncos decision making when it comes to quarterbacks. John Elway and Company made two big mistakes.
It’s borderline irresponsible that the team doesn’t have an option who has ever taken an NFL snap available behind Flacco. A journeyman veteran would certainly give Denver a better chance, especially if had to play during a game. Had Flacco not been able to finish at Indianapolis, Allen would’ve been thrown into a winnable game. At least against the Browns, the inexperienced quarterback will have a week to prepare.
It’s also inexcusable that the Broncos didn’t have Lock practicing two weeks ago when he was eligible to come off of IR. Instead, they kicked the can down the road on the decision, waiting to see if Tim Patrick and Theo Riddick would be better options as the two players who could return to the active roster from injured reserve this season. Had Denver won at Indianapolis and stayed alive in the playoff race, that might’ve been the case.
Of course, that was a foolish notion to begin with. Anyone who has watched the Broncos this season knows they aren’t a contender; the Chiefs debacle should’ve been all the evidence Elway needed of that fact. And even if they were, there’s no proof that Patrick or Riddick would’ve been difference makers in Denver’s anemic offense.
So now, the Broncos find themselves in a pickle. They have to play a game with a quarterback who has never played in the NFL, but it’s not the one they are hoping to groom into the future face of the franchise.
That turns Sunday’s game into a wasted opportunity.
