The fact that this game was even played is a farce.
Yes, Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos quarterbacks didn’t do enough. As Andrew Mason tweeted, they still had an in-person meeting after the NFL went to intensive COVID-19 protocols.
And?
What about the Baltimore Ravens?
It’s clear the NFL wanted to send a message to the other 31 teams through the Broncos.
To Lock’s credit, he owned up to it. I applaud him for stepping up like that. But it should have never come to this.
Nevertheless, here we are. The Broncos (4-7) lost to the New Orleans Saints 31-3 in a game that should have been delayed. The outcome is both shocking (sarcasm) and stupid.
Per the usual, I’m bound to forget someone, leave them off or put them in the wrong category, so please mention them in the comments.
Winners
Kendall Hinton
Talk about an untenable situation. I don’t even care about the stats. Hinton is a major winner after Sunday’s game.
Broncos running backs
See above. Still, like Hinton, Melvin Gordon, Phillip Lindsay, and Royce Freeman continue to battle.
Essang Bassey
Denver’s rookie cornerback had his first-career interception.
Losers
The Broncos quarterbacks
This isn’t an either or. Lock and his fellow QBs put their team in this situation. They were lax in how they responded and they were rightly punished. Had they followed the protocols, the situation would have been different.
Vic Fangio: "I was disappointed on several levels, that our QBs put us in that position, that our QBs put the league in that position. We count on them to be the leaders of our team, the leaders of our offense, and those guys made a mistake."
— Lindsay Jones (@bylindsayhjones) November 30, 2020
The NFL
At the same point, this response by the league is complete bullshit. It’s hypocritical at best. Again, as Mase pointed out, the Titans were also caught on film violating protocols with players gathering while they were shut down. The response from the league? A slap on the wrist, multiple concessions, and the courtesy of multiple delays. As Dave Logan said during the broadcast, it was a “really bad” decision by the NFL to play this game.
“It goes against every bit of competitive integrity that this league has been built on for years and years and years. ... It’s just nonsensical to do what the league did.”
Dave Logan, on @BroncosRadio, calls it a “really bad” decision by the NFL to play this game.
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 29, 2020
“It goes against every bit of competitive integrity that this league has been built on for years and years as years. … It’s just nonsensical to do what the league did.”
NFC teams competing for home-field advantage
How do you think the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks feel about this?
The fans
Anyone who watched that “game” is worse off for it. Heck, even if you didn’t watch it, you’re worse off for it. But, hey, at least the NFL made a few bucks and sent a hollow message to the rest of the league.