Christmas day produced a lump of coal for the Denver Broncos, putting a bow on an already disappointing season. The Broncos lost big to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16.
Dud: Russell Wilson
The “gift” that keeps on giving is quarterback Russell Wilson’s interceptions. Against the Rams, Wilson tried to take too many unnecessary risks, throwing three interceptions in the process. At the end of the game, Wilson’s stat line read 15-of-27 for 214 yards, one touchdown and three picks. On his third interception in particular, Wilson had green turf in front of him, enough for a first down. Instead, Wilson decided to throw the ball into double coverage, resulting in a pick in the end zone.
Backup quarterback Brett Rypien replaced Wilson with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter.
Dud: Defense
The Broncos defense put up its most frustrating effort of the season, allowing 44 points, and forcing zero punts. Rams embattled journeyman quarterback Baker Mayfield made it look easy, going 24-of-28 for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Los Angeles boasted its first 100-yard rusher of the season in Cam Akers, who rushed for 118 yards — the Rams went over 150 yards as a team. Overall, it was a massive disappointment for the typically-stellar unit.
Neither stud nor dud: Russell Wilson vs. bathroom challenge
Whether you like it or not, Wilson reached a big milestone in Week 16: Wilson threw his 12th touchdown of the season, tying his house with the number of bathrooms in it. The Broncos certainly haven’t had a lot of bright spots throughout 2022, but this was a big one for Wilson. Unfortunately, it came in garbage time of a blowout loss.
Dud: Turnovers
In the NFL, the key between winning and losing often comes down to turnovers. The Broncos put up an o-fer while giving up the ball four times. All four turnovers led to Rams points, which just piled on during the “Nightmare on Christmas.”
Biggest loser: Broncos Country
The biggest losers of 2022 could be Broncos Country. “Broncos Country, Let’s Ride!” became a much-ridiculed meme, sky-high expectations crashed back to earth early in the season, Russell Wilson never could quite get it together, and injuries completely ravaged the roster.
The peak disappointment of the season might be this game. Denver has played in so many one-possession games, only to let the floodgates open on Christmas. Baker Mayfield played the Grinch who pushed what was left of the Broncos’ Christmas spirit off of Mount Crumpet. To quote Clark Griswold of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation fame, “This (may be) the biggest bag-over-the-head, punch in the face (Broncos Country) ever got!”
The biggest relief may lie in the fact that Denver only has two games left against the AFC West-champion Kansas City Chiefs and another playoff contender in the Los Angeles Chargers. After that, we can finally turn our thoughts to the NFL draft and the upcoming offseason.
