Of all the things NFL fans could’ve watched Thursday night, who would’ve thought Thursday Night Football would’ve ended up so low on the list?
Viewers hoping for an entertaining game between the Broncos and Colts in Denver were treated to a rather uneventful first half and plenty of sluggish play from both teams.
So, just how bad was it? The Broncos went into halftime with a 6–3 lead after mustering up two field goals over five drives, with Wilson logging just 69 yards. Ryan, meanwhile, took four sacks and recorded 140 yards as the Colts punted on their first four drives, with their last two ending with an interception and a 52-yard Chase McLaughlin FG.
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For what it’s worth, the expectations entering TNF were a bit tempered due to unfortunately-timed injuries to star Colts running back Jonathan Taylor and rising Broncos star Javonte Williams. Taylor was ruled out earlier in the week with an ankle injury while Williams’s season ended prematurely in Week 4 after he sustained a torn ACL against the Raiders.
Still, the potential for a good game remained given the profile of the matchup’s veteran quarterbacks (Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan), and a host of talented receivers on both sides (Michael Pittman, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy). But, clearly, that did not come to pass.
The brutal first half led to a number of reactions on social media from viewers fed up with the lack of action. Legendary play–by-play man Al Michaels may have summed up the night in one fell swoop when he said on the broadcast that the contest is “the type of game you’d have as the fifth regional on CBS on Sunday.” Ouch.
Needless to say, Michaels was certainly not alone. Check out some of the best reactions to the TNF snoozefest below:
