K.J. Hamler did plenty of non-verbal communication in the immediate aftermath of Denver’s overtime loss to Indianapolis on Thursday night. The Broncos‘ receiver slammed his helmet to the ground in frustration shortly after Russell Wilson missed him on a fourth-and-1 play from the Colts‘ 6-yard-line. Instead of catching the game-winning score, Hamler and his teammates walked off the field with a loss and a 2-3 record.
Hamler added a little context to his frustration following Denver’s 12-9 loss, as frustration is certainly mounting in Broncos Country.
“I could have walked in,” Hamler said of the final play, via James Palmer of NFL Media.
Thursday night marked the fourth time in five games that the Broncos offense failed to score more than 20 points. It was another rocky game for Wilson, who threw two interceptions that included Stephon Gilmore’s critical pick of Wilson in the end zone with 2:13 left that prevented the Broncos from adding to their three-point lead. The Colts responded with a 67-yard drive that ended with a game-tying field goal. Indianapolis won the game after getting a field goal on the first drive of overtime.
“They tried me like two times in a row the play before [the interception],” Gilmore told Amazon Prime’s Kaylee Hartung after the game, via NFL Media. “I knew he was gonna come back and I had to make him pay. He kept trying me, so I made him pay.”
It’s certainly not the start the Broncos were hoping for after signing Wilson to a $245 million extension this offseason. Making things bleaker is the fact that the Broncos have lost two of their key offensive players due to injury. Javonte Williams suffered a season-ending knee injury last week, and offensive tackle Garett Bolles was carted off the field Thursday night after sustaining a lower leg injury.
Time may be the best thing that’s currently on Denver’s side. The Broncos have 10 days before their next game, a road game against AFC West foe Los Angeles. In the days between, Denver has to figure out a way to get the offense on track, especially the quarterback.
“I let the team down,” Wilson said after Thursday’s game, via Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. “It’s very simple. At the end of the day, I’ve gotta be better.”
KVSP