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A16 sports
Wednesday 26 OctOber 2022
No offense but 2022 NFL is no league for old men

By ARNIE STAPLETON their odious offense is av-
AP Pro Football Writer eraging just 14.3 points per
DENVER (AP) — Defenses game.
have finally figured out how That has Denver fans won-
to keep all those high-pow- dering if they didn’t get
ered offenses from lighting themselves a lemon in Wil-
up NFL scoreboards, and son, who cost the Broncos
they’re also showing that in three players and four high
2022 this is no league for old draft picks plus a $245 mil-
men. lion extension before the
Tom Brady, whose unre- season.
tirement at age 45 is look- Wilson’s five TD throws in six
ing like a big mistake, was games puts him on pace
held without a touchdown for 13 this season, a year
throw Sunday by a woe- after he threw for 25 touch-
ful Carolina Panthers team downs and two years after
that throttled the Tampa he had a career-best 40 in
Bay Buccaneers 21-3 after Seattle.
trading its best player and His struggles in Hackett’s
starting a third-string quar- hybrid offense come just
terback. months after the Walton-
Aaron Rodgers, 38, was Penner ownership group
held without so much as a paid a global sports record
third-down conversion or $4.65 billion for the team
one on fourth down, for but have seen thousands
that matter for the first time of empty seats at Empow-
in his career in the Green er Field and thousands of
Bay Packers’ 23-21 loss to fans streaming for the exits
Washington and Taylor He- in crunch time to beat the
inicke. traffic rather than watch
Matt Ryan, 37, separated the Broncos fall short again.
his throwing shoulder in Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) lays on the turf with Washington Commanders Hackett is on the hot seat
the Indianapolis Colts’ 19- defensive end James Smith-Williams (96) over him after an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 23, just two months into his
10 loss at Tennessee, but 2022, in Landover, Md. The Commanders won 23-21. Associated Press rookie season as head
coach Frank Reich said coach and general man-
Monday that’s not why he’s A major factor is the ex- Kansas City in the offsea- roring Peyton Manning’s re- ager George Paton might
benching his bruised and plosion of shell coverages son and was dealt to the naissance in Denver in the be getting sweaty himself.
battered 15-year veteran where players cover por- Dolphins. second chapter of his Hall “When your defense is play-
in favor of second-year QB tions of the field to form “I know this sounds crazy, of Fame career. ing as well as our defense
Sam Ehlinger. a “shell” defense, a strat- but I’m telling you, they’re But he has just eight through is you shouldn’t be losing
Russell Wilson, sidelined by egy popularized by former a better offense without seven games this season, games.
a pulled hamstring, donned Broncos coach Vic Fangio Tyreek Hill,” NBC Sports an- putting him on pace for 19. That’s just point blank, peri-
a headset instead of a hel- that is menacing offensive alysts Chris Simms said on That would be his lowest od, a fact,” Rypien said af-
met in Denver, where the play-callers and ruffling “Football Night in Ameri- in a healthy season since ter the Broncos’ 16-9 loss to
offensively-challenged quarterbacks this season, ca.” his first year as the Patriots’ the Jets Sunday that gave
Broncos lost another close especially in the red zone. Josh Allen, 26, also is on starter in 2001, when he them five losses by an aver-
one Sunday with backup Some of the game’s most pace for 48 TDs, and Joe had 18 TDs. age of 4.6 points.
Brett Rypien making his accomplished QBs are re- Burrow, 25, is on pace Like Brady’s Bucs, the Pack- “We have to figure out
second career start against ally feeling the pinch. to throw for three dozen ers are 3-4 following three what we can do to turn this
the Jets. Brady doesn’t look like a touchdowns. straight years of Rodgers thing around,” said Rypien,
Nathaniel Hackett said af- seven-time Super Bowl win- Lamar Jackson, 25, has 13 going 13-3. echoing Brady in Tampa,
terward that Wilson was ner without retired sidekick TD throws, three shy of last Their common struggles Rodgers in Green Bay and
trending toward return- Rob Gronkowski, and Rod- year’s total, and he’s fifth in have led to both scuffling Reich in Indianapolis as
ing against the Jaguars in gers doesn’t look like the the league with 510 rushing superstars dressing down their teams stumble toward
London next weekend, al- league’s two-time reigning yards. teammates over dropped the season’s halfway point
though it might be best for MVP without pal Davante Mahomes, Allen, Burrow passes or missed assign- with unenviable records,
the 33-year-old QB who’s Adams, who was traded and Jackson make up the ments. sputtering offenses and
off to the worst start of his to the Raiders in the offsea- league’s new upper ech- At least they’ll get the few, if any, answers.q
career to sit out until after son. elon of elite quarterbacks, chance to turn things
the Broncos’ bye and re- Conversely, Patrick Ma- supplanting the likes of around. Ryan won’t, even
turn against the Titans on homes, 27, doesn’t look like Brady, Rodgers, Ryan and though he the Colts took
Nov. 13. he misses superstar speed- Wilson. on the more than $50 mil-
There’s a multitude of rea- ster Tyreek Hill at all. With 11 TDs through seven lion remaining on his salary
sons for the quarterbacks’ Mahomes already has weeks, Rodgers is on pace when they acquired him
struggles and the league- thrown for 20 touchdowns, for half about half of Ma- from Atlanta in the offsea-

wide dip in point produc- putting him on pace for 48, homes’ projectied TD total son.
tion so far, including more just shy of the 50 he threw 26 after throwing for 37 last Nowhere is the league’s
blitzes and a rash of elite his first season as a starter in year and 48 the year be- tilt toward defense more
receivers getting traded, 2018. fore. pronounced than in Den-
leaving their former teams He’s averaged 34 TDs over Counting playoffs, Brady ver, where the Broncos are
to recreate chemistry, the last three seasons, all had 96 TD throws his first giving up just 16.4 points a
which takes time. with Hill, who asked out of two seasons in Tampa, mir- game but are 2-5 because facebook.com/arubatoday/