The Broncos made the bold decision to go for the win on fourth-and-inches in overtime rather than kick the game-tying field goal. The decision nearly paid off.
If Russell Wilson had looked to his right, he would have seen wide receiver K.J. Hamler wide open on a slant route into the end zone, and a good throw to the receiver would have ended the game and won it for the Broncos. Instead, Wilson tried to fit in a tight pass to Courtland Sutton and had the pass broken up to give the Colts the 12-9 win.
“I could have walked in,” Hamler told NFL Network’s James Palmer after the game.
#broncos WR K.J. Hamler to me on the final play of the game. “I could have walked in.”
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) October 7, 2022
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Just how upset was Hamler after the game ended that he didn’t get the ball? Let’s just say his helmet took a toll.
KJ Hamler was NOT happy after this game… pic.twitter.com/G1jzaa5Msj
— DenverAA (@NuggetsAAccess) October 7, 2022
“I mean, I did everything I can,” Hamler said, according to the Denver Post’s Parker Gabriel. “I fought my a— off. Us as an offense, we fought our a— off. You may never know.”
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The Broncos offense, once again this season, looked stagnant throughout the game, mustering only three field goals during regulation as Wilson threw a pair of interceptions. He finished the game having completed 21-of-39 passes for 274 yards.
On the first drive of overtime, the Colts offense marched 45 yards down the field on eight plays in 4:10, but picked up only a 48-yard field goal to take the lead with 5:50 remaining in the game. The Broncos, for the first time all game, looked promising on offense. It took just six plays for Wilson and company to move 70 yards down the field to the Colts’ 5-yard line, but a fourth-and-inches brought up the pivotal play. Rather than run the ball to try for the first, Wilson threw the ball to the end zone trying to give the Broncos their third win of the season.
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“We had the good play call on. Went to Courtland there. Guy made a good play,” Wilson said after the game. “I was ready to move around if I needed to. We came up with the big fourth-and-two earlier in the drive before, the two drives before. So we went for it, we didn’t want to end in a tie. We wanted to try and win the game. That was our mentality. I think coach made a good call. I’ve got to find a way to make a play, whatever it takes.”
Despite having now played in one more game than 30 other teams, the Broncos still rank only 23rd in the league in total points (75) and 21st in total yards (1,343). Suffice to say, so far, letting Russ cook has not panned out the way Denver had hoped.
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