Richard Sherman was not pleased with the Denver Broncos decision to throw on fourth-and-1 with a chance to win an overtime game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.
The Broncos didn’t have to go for the jugular and go all 5 yards from the Colts’ 5-yard line to win the game, but they did leave the ball in the hands of Russell Wilson.
Wilson attempted an incomplete throw, which was intercepted by Colts CB Stephon Gilmore, the former Defensive Player of the Year. That gave Indianapolis the victory and brought back a familiar flashback for Sherman, who raged on the “Thursday Night Football” postgame program.
Richard Sherman on final play: “RUN THE BALL! I WISH I HAD MARSHAWN UP HERE. RUN THE BALL” pic.twitter.com/4da4uZ9xhG
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) October 7, 2022
“You’ve got to run the ball,” Sherman said. “I wish I had Marshawn (former Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch) up here again.” Run with the ball. 1 yard is required.
Run with the ball. Run with the ball! He only needs to run the football.
“Necessary critique.” I’ve already criticized him enough, but dammit it, run the friggin ball!”
Sherman experienced this with the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, when the Seahawks trailed the New England Patriots 28-24 with 25 seconds remaining.
On second-and-goal, Wilson threw a slant over the middle that was intercepted by Malcolm Butler to secure the Patriots’ victory and end Seattle’s Super Bowl reign.
Wilson and the Seahawks might have given the ball to Lynch. Instead, Wilson chucked the ball, causing a big schism in the Seahawk’s dressing room.
Sherman had already expressed his displeasure with the decision and seized the chance to throw subtle barbs at Wilson after the game.
Wilson had a wide-open K.J. Hamler on the play, but he chose Sutton over him. Making matters worse. Melvin Gordon is a strong short-yardage back who has 23 1-yard touchdown runs since 2016, second only to Derrick Henry in football since 2016.
Is this the fault of Wilson or of head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who has dealt with his own share of management and play-calling troubles in his brief career? Hackett tipped the Colts’ hand by going shotgun on the fourth-and-1 play, indicating that a throw was on the way.
Wilson, who had been laboring all night, did not even attempt to go beyond the sticks. Instead, he aimed for the end zone and missed Sutton with his shot.
Hackett stated that the Broncos wanted to win the game and that he “received the okay to go for it,” fueling rumors that the play was not his idea.
Whatever transpired throughout that decision-making process, sprinting with the ball was out of the question. Sherman could be onto something here.
The Denver Broncos’ fourth-down failure brings back memories for Richard Sherman.
Richard Sherman was reminded of some painful memories from Thursday night’s game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos.
A combined six field goals by the two teams had forced overtime, and the Colts had added another following an eight-play drive to put Indianapolis up by three.
That didn’t mean the Broncos were done, as Russell Wilson delivered two fast deep passes to get his team to the Colts’ 14-yard line. Melvin Gordon III rushed twice to convert a third-and-2 at the six-yard line.
Flashbacks
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 7, 2022
It’s not exactly a one-to-one matching with the finale of Super Bowl XLIX when Wilson and Sherman’s Seattle Seahawks were at the New England Patriots 1-yard line with 20 seconds left and virtually everyone in the crowd expected Marshawn Lynch to crash home the game-winning touchdown.
Wilson took the snap in the shotgun, launched a ball to Ricardo Lockette, and… well, it was intercepted by Patriots defender Malcolm Butler. The game is done.
But for Sherman, sitting from the sidelines and seeing Wilson in the shotgun on fourth-and-one, where he threw an incomplete throw to Cortlund Sutton… it reminded him of that tragic night in 2015.
— Richard Sherman (@RSherman_25) October 7, 2022
That’s a gif of Sherman’s response to Butler’s interception of Wilson, which went viral at the conclusion of Super Bowl XLIX and which he tweeted after the game with the hashtag “Flashbacks.”
“You have to run the ball on the final play,” Sherman remarked on the postgame show. “I really wish I had Marshawn up here. One yard, for example. One yard is required. Run with the ball. Run with the ball!”
The Broncos’ 12-9 overtime loss to the Colts produced three winners and six losers.
The Denver Broncos play poor football.
That is an understatement.
Yes, the season is far from done. But, after five weeks and what we just saw on Thursday Night Football… we’ll need at least a month to recover from the Colts’ 12-9 setback.
At the very least, Melvin Gordon did not fumble.
As is customary, I’m going to forget someone, leave them out, or place them in the incorrect category, so please leave a comment if I did.
Winners
Caden Sterns’s
The Broncos’ second-year safety had two interceptions. Unfortunately, the Denver offense was unable to capitalize on them. Sterns also had three tackles (one solo) and three pass breakups.
Chubb, Bradley
Matt Ryan and Chubb were all over the field. The Bronco’s defensive line recorded 2.5 sacks, seven tackles (four solos), three quarterback hits, and one tackle for loss.
Chubb and the defense kept a team to no touchdowns, but Denver still lost. The Broncos were exhausted defensively at the end of the regular and overtime.
“Let Russ cook” pic.twitter.com/5yB6rMlv19
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) October 7, 2022
Wilson, Russell
In a nutshell, yikes. That was one of the worst quarterback performances I’ve ever seen, and we had to watch Paxton Lynch. On fourth down, Wilson had a wide-open K.J. Hamler and didn’t even notice him.
“I could have walked in,” Hamler said after the game to James Palmer. That was the situation for most of the game, according to Benjamin Allbright. Of course, the system isn’t exactly helping Wilson either.
Wilson, on the other hand, was disgusting on Thursday.
Can’t Nathaniel Hackett
With each game, it becomes evident that Hackett will not hack it. He’s far out of his depth. And there is no sign that Hackett or the Broncos are improving. Indeed, one could argue that he and Denver are becoming worse.
The Broncos hired a clock and game management coach; perhaps it’s time to see if Mike Shanahan wants to return as an offensive assistant and relieve Hackett of playcalling duties. That will not happen, I assure you. But something must happen quickly.
Outten, Justin
To paraphrase “Office Space,” “What do you think you should do here?”
Denver’s offensive line
When you think things can’t get much worse, this device finds a way. On Thursday night, no one was excellent. Garett Bolles is now sidelined with a fractured leg.
Mathis, Damarri
If there was one play that stood out for the Broncos, it was when Mathis believed he had an interception and stopped the play to put his hands on his head in surprise while Alec Pierce continued to run. On Thursday night, Mathis looked and played like a rookie.
Just asked an NFC executive to put himself in George Paton’s position. Would he fire Nathaniel Hackett? His answer: “I’d give him one more week, maybe two. Otherwise, this season’s over before it even started.” #Broncos
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 7, 2022
How valuable are the Broncos?
$4.65 billion in US currency
The franchise value reached 4.65 billion US dollars in 2022.
The valuation of the Denver Broncos franchise from 2002 through 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Characteristic
Franchise worth in millions of dollars
2020 3,200 \s2019 3,000 \s2018 2,650
2017 2,600
Who is buying the Broncos 2022?
Rob Walton
NFL owners met Tuesday and unanimously voted in favor of a new Broncos ownership group led by Rob Walton, who agreed to pay $4.65 billion to the Bowlen family to purchase the team earlier this summer.
Who are the people trying to buy the Broncos?
The Walton-Penner family group is the group that purchased the Broncos. They are run by Rob Walton, the Walmart heir and one of the world’s wealthiest persons, and other members of his family, as one might anticipate.
Is Tim Allen a Broncos fan?
Tim Allen was a Lions fan on “Home Improvement,” but he’s a Broncos supporter on his most recent television program, “Last Man Standing.” Allen grew up in Denver and has always had a special spot for the Broncos.
Who is the richest owner in NFL?
Rob Walton, the owner of the Denver Broncos, is the richest NFL owner, with $59.8 billion.
Carolina Panthers owner Dave Tepper, $16.7 billion.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is worth $11.6 billion.
Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke, $10.7 billion.
