In case you didn’t hear, due to one of the backup QB’s testing positive for Covid, all 3 QB’s on the Bronco’s roster have to quarantine. To make matters worse, Broncos Practice Squad QB Blake Bortles was seen fraternizing with the 3 active QBs – without a mask – meaning that he is also ineligible to play this Sunday. So we find ourselves hours before kick-off without someone taking snaps tomorrow (or today depending on when you are reading this). Just like that, the Bronco’s have become America’s team….for the week.
As I’ve said before, we love an underdog story here in the United States. Every great sports movie revolves around a come from behind victory, un unlikely hero, a true “Cinderella” or rags to riches story. None of these great sports films start with “well the 14 point favorites had a big lead” and certainly doesn’t end with “we saw that coming” – people love the unexpected outcome. With no active QB on their roster, the Broncos are in an absolutely unique situation to get an unexpected victory and beat the juggernaut that is the NFC first place Saints. We haven’t had a regular season game like this… well, ever. The only sports movie comparison I can think of is Rookie of the Year when Henry re-injures his arm in the 9th inning and has to finish the game throwing “floaters” to batters. Neither the Cubs nor the Broncos have anyone to throw so seems like a fare comparison.
I have to imagine that everyone with Sunday Ticket is going to be tuning-in to see how this game plays out. There are so many questions surrounding it; who is going to take snaps? Will they actually try to throw the ball? What kind of offense are they going to run? Honestly I can’t wait to watch – I’m dragging another TV into my living room so I can have multiple games on at once and make sure I don’t miss a moment.
The only thing that could make this game even more interesting is if it snowed….fingers crossed. Even without snow, I think America is going to be cheering on the quarterback-less Broncos. We’ve seen teams dip into their practice squad before, but we’ve never seen anything like this.
On another note, the Broncos put the entire town of South Park in the stands when they couldn’t allow fans. This alone puts them in contention for at least a short-run as “America’s Team” – 2020 needs more Randy Marsh!
