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3 reasons the Broncos Teddy Bridgewater experiment was a waste of time

By Sayre Bedinger

Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) calls out a play in the first half of the NFL football game between the Bengals and the Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver.Cincinnati Bengals At Denver Broncos 383
Denver Broncos quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) calls out a play in the first half of the NFL football game between the Bengals and the Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 19, 2021, at Empower Field in Denver.Cincinnati Bengals At Denver Broncos 383 /
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Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio (center) walks the sidelines in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Empower Field at Mile High Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

2. What happened to those playoffs?

The only reason anyone could really justify choosing Teddy Bridgewater over Drew Lock given the Broncos’ situation was the team’s need to get into the playoffs.

Vic Fangio likely needed it to keep his job beyond this season. The Broncos have been in a playoff drought since Super Bowl 50.

Everyone wants and needs the playoffs in Denver.

Teddy Bridgewater was picked by this coaching staff in Denver because they figured he gave them the best shot at getting to the postseason. Although the Broncos have not been formally eliminated from playoff contention at this point, Bridgewater has absolutely failed to deliver in key moments where a veteran quarterback should be expected to step up.

Remember Cleveland on Thursday Night Football? Remember the home game against the Eagles coming off of a huge road win in Dallas?

Remember the offensive ineptitude in Kansas City?

The list of failures for Bridgewater and the Broncos this season is extensive, but it’s been this team’s play against fellow AFC playoff contenders that has been maddening. The Broncos lost to all of the Ravens, Steelers, Browns, and Raiders…consecutively.

More recently, they’ve lost to the Chiefs, Bengals, and Raiders (again).

Bridgewater wasn’t the sole reason the Broncos lost all of those games, but in the ones he was healthy for, he was not only a primary reason the Broncos didn’t win, but he was also a primary reason they lost.

A lot of that goes back to point number one — the inability to properly involve the receivers in the game plan.

Specifically, imagine how different this Broncos season would be if they had beaten a battered Browns team earlier this year, or if they could have gotten anything going offensively in the first three quarters of the Steelers game.

It has been a frustrating season offensively, to be certain, and the offense has not had as many turnovers as last season but they have also not replaced those turnovers with more points on the board.

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