This past Sunday, the Denver Broncos suffered their fifth consecutive loss. This week the loss came at the hands of the Broncos' division rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs came into the game with a 13-game win streak over the Broncos, and unfortunately, the streak wasn't able to be snapped.
For the first half of the game, it looked like things were getting ugly quickly. The Chiefs went into halftime with a 27-14 lead, which seemed insurmountable for the Broncos' struggling offense. But things got interesting quickly, and the Broncos nearly orchestrated a spectacular comeback. Luck continued to not be on the Broncos' side, though, and all momentum they had came to a screeching halt when Russell Wilson was taken out of the game after suffering a concussion. Had Wilson not gotten injured, there is a good chance the Broncos could have completed the comeback. But their efforts ultimately came up short, and here we are discussing which Broncos players are most to blame for the Week 14 loss.
2. The entire Broncos offensive line (again)
While talking about luck, the Broncos certainly haven't had any regarding injuries this season. The entire Broncos offensive line is very banged up and is mostly made up of backups. Because of this, the offensive line has seriously struggled in run and pass protection. Thus, the Broncos' run game isn't anything spectacular, and Wilson is left scrambling for his life immediately after the ball is snapped.
One of the main duties of an offensive line is to keep their quarterback protected. Week in and week out, though, it seems like the Broncos' offensive line forgets how to block, and they've seen Wilson hit the turf far more than he should.
#Broncos are so banged up that they're playing with no original starters along the offensive line today. RIP Wilson. pic.twitter.com/Ai9ZIyOeL2
— Rachel Strand (@RachelNFL) December 11, 2022
In the game against the Chiefs, Wilson was sacked six times. On the play where he suffered a concussion, he was scrambling to get some yards after being forced out of the pocket Honestly, with how often Wilson has been hit, it's a miracle he hasn't ended up injured more often.
The Broncos cannot expect to have any offensive success behind this poor of an offensive line. You could put Peyton Manning or Tom Brady back there, and they'd struggle as well. With only a few weeks left in the season, the only thing the Broncos can really do is reshuffle the offensive line. During the offseason, they need to seriously consider bringing in some better talent and even targeting some linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft.
1. QB Brett Rypien
Brett Rypien should be on this list, and he also shouldn't be on this list. Rypien was thrown into the game in the fourth quarter under some unfortunate circumstances. Wilson had the momentum and had conducted multiple successful drives in the game. Arguably, he was playing his best game of the season. Rypien would obviously have an incredibly difficult time matching what Wilson had done and what he was also attempting to do. Despite Rypien's best efforts, all momentum the Broncos had left with Wilson.
Technically the loss isn't fully on Rypien, because he didn't play the entire game. Rypien did toss one touchdown to Jerry Jeudy, but he also had a horrible interception, a fumble, and showed he wasn't really capable of finishing the comeback in a game that was still within reach.
L'Jarius Sneed gives the Chiefs the ball right back!
📺: #KCvsDEN on CBS
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/TzmdzbFm9o pic.twitter.com/8S9bz10COm— NFL (@NFL) December 12, 2022
Speaking honestly, Rypien isn't one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league. Yes, backup quarterbacks are backups for a reason. But there still needs to be a certain level of trust in the backup quarterback if they get thrown into a game. During the offseason, the Broncos should consider a different quarterback to back up Wilson.
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