NFL Week 12: All Broncos QBs sidelined by COVID-19, WR Hinton to start vs. Saints
The Denver Broncos have simply been cursed this season, and not just with injuries.
Their All-Pro pass rusher Von Miller, the team's best overall player, has missed all of this season with an ankle injury. Wide receiver Courtland Sutton, the team's top pass-catcher, has been out since Week 2 with a knee injury.
Now, the Broncos will be without all the quarterbacks on their roster in Sunday's Week 12 game against the New Orleans Saints.
Backup QB Jeff Driskel reportedly tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, the Broncos sent starter Drew Lock and reserves Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles home because they'd all have close contact with Driskel.
With all four quarterbacks ineligible to play against the Saints, the Broncos are turning to Kendall Hinton, a wide receiver from their practice squad who played quarterback in college at Wake Forest.
Who will play quarterback for the Broncos?
While it may have seemed like the Broncos would have to turn entirely to their running game on Sunday -- or have running backs Melvin Gordon and Philip Lindsay take the snaps -- the team did find their man to be under center.
Hinton played QB at Wake Forest for three years before he switched positions to receiver as a senior. He went undrafted in this year's NFL Draft and signed with the Broncos, where he's been on the practice squad.
For now, it is unclear who Hinton's backup will be, but it could be running back Royce Freeman. The Oregon product is not a QB-turned-RB, but he's thrown a few passes on trick plays in college and high school.
The other consideration would be a Gordon and Lindsay in a Wildcat formation for the whole game.
COVID-19 has taken a huge hit on the NFL this week, as the Baltimore Ravens continue to have more positive test results and currently stand at 18 positives -- including star quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens' game against the Steelers that was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving was first moved to Sunday, was again moved to Tuesday, and is now in danger of not happening at all this week.
The San Francisco 49ers, meanwhile, are not allowed to play in their home stadium due to county rules regarding COVID. The 49ers have back-to-back home games coming up in Weeks 13 and 14 against the Buffalo Bills and Washington, the have their final home game scheduled for Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks.