Broncos fans saw the writing on the wall, even in the third quarter with the team in the lead.
The Broncos led for much of the second half of Thursday night’s offensively-challenged game against the Colts, but home fans in Denver never seemed comfortable with how things were transpiring. In the end, they were proven right.
The game has called into question Russell Wilson’s status as a Super Bowl-caliber quarterback. The former Seahawks signal caller has struggled in his first few games with the Broncos, especially late in Thursday’s game, with two second-half interceptions and a bad miss on fourth down in overtime that sealed the Broncos fate.
The first interception came late in the third quarter, with Denver up 9–6. Wilson sailed a throw intended for KJ Hamler, which went right to safety Rodney Thomas at the Colts four-yard line.
The play, which came with a full quarter to play and the Broncos still in the lead, had some fans putting their hands behind their heads in disgust, a move that has been coined in the sports world as the “surrender cobra”—the universal sign of “my team is about to lose.”
That started a wave of cobras at Empower Field at Mile High. The Broncos would punt on their next possession, and Wilson threw an even more costly interception to Stephon Gilmore from the Colts 13-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
On the following possession, the Colts’ own struggling veteran quarterback Matt Ryan went down the field, setting up a game-tying field goal to send things to overtime.
Many fans opted to leave before overtime even began, an amazing site to see for one of football’s most historic franchises, which left broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit flabbergasted.
The Colts would open overtime with a go-ahead field goal, and held on to a 12–9 win when Russell Wilson missed a wide open Hamler a few yards short of the end zone on fourth-and-1 from the Indianapolis five, opting to force the ball to Courtland Sutton. Gilmore broke up the pass in the end zone, sealing a win.
With the loss, the Broncos—who entered the season with incredibly high expectations after trading for Wilson—are now 2–3 on the year.
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