The Denver Broncos confirmed Saturday night that they were out of quarterbacks and yet, the show goes on vs. the Saints on Sunday as the COVID-era NFL reached its most farcical, and perhaps dangerous, stage in Week 12.
It started when backup QB Jeff Driskel tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. By Saturday morning, starter Drew Lock and backups Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles had been sent home as news broke that they’d all been in a meeting room together this week.
Broncos Ask League if Assistant Coach Could Play
While Lock, Rypien, and Bortles took rapid tests and initially came up negative, they’re defined as high-risk and have entered the league’s mandatory five-day quarantine.
The Broncos tried everything, including asking the league if Rob Calabrese, a former college quarterback and their offensive quality control coach for the past two years, could start.
The league said no.
That left Denver with undrafted rookie practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton as the starter on Sunday. This will be the first NFL start for Hinton, who used to take snaps at Wake Forest.
The Line Goes Crazy
Before the Bronco’s announcement on Saturday afternoon, the Saints were favored by 6.5 points and the over-under was 43.
The quarterback news sent the line skyrocketing. New Orleans blew up to a 15.5-point favorite as the over-under crept down to a 2020 season-low of 36 points.
The Broncos are 4-6 overall and 2-3 at home, while New Orleans is 8-2 overall and 3-1 on the road.
Twitter, of course, did it’s thing in response to the news.