Wilson shoulders blame as Broncos fall 12-9 to Colts in OT
DENVER — Russell Wilson had a chance to put the game away late.
He threw an interception in the end zone.
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The Denver Broncos quarterback had another shot to win the game in overtime. He threw a game-ending incompletion on fourth-and-short while never looking at an uncovered receiver.
Brought in for moments such as this — and rewarded with a $245 million extension before taking his first snap in Denver — Wilson couldn’t deliver in a 12-9 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.
“I let the team down tonight,” said Wilson, who threw two interceptions, including one that set up Indy’s game-tying field goal with 5 seconds left in regulation. “When you play this game, the one thing you’re going to know is that you’re going to go through adversity.”
Once again, Wilson and offense struggled to stay on the field, much less find the end zone. This has become a recurring theme for the Broncos (2-3), who are averaging just 15 points a game.
“At the end of the day, I’ve got to be better,” said Wilson, who came to Denver after a decade in Seattle. “I’ve got to play better. We had some good drives. We moved the ball into the red zone and we didn’t capitalize on some of them. There’s some plays here and there that we can capitalize on.”
The turning point occurred just before the two-minute warning. Leading by a field goal, the Broncos faced third-and-4 at the Indy 13. A field goal seemed assured, which, in this low-scoring affair, loomed large.
Instead of running the ball, though, the Broncos tried to put the game away. But Wilson’s pass was picked off in the end zone by Stephon Gilmore. It allowed the Colts to drive down and tie it on Chase McLaughlin’s 31-yard field goal with 5 seconds remaining.
“Just can’t throw that,” Wilson said. “Got to throw it out of bounds if he’s not there.”
In overtime, after Indy turned the opening possession into a field goal, the Broncos quickly moved the ball deep into Indy territory again.
