Saints Blow By Short-handed Broncos, 31-3

Kendall Hinton gave it his all.

So did the Denver Broncos.

But the hole was simply too deep from being without four quarterbacks and the Broncos fell to the New Orleans Saints, 31-3, Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.

Hinton, a wide receiver on the Broncos practice squad, was elevated to be the Broncos quarterback.

He played hard and fought the entire game. But the Broncos offense, behind Hinton and a wildcat scheme, struggled to get going. The Broncos could only muster 112 yards of total offense and 12 first downs.

Hinton was 1-for-9 passing. His only completion was a 13 yard screen pass to tight end Noah Fant in the third quarter.

Hinton was pressed into service after the NFL ruled that Broncos quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, Jeff Driskel and Blake Bortels did not precisely adhere to COVID-19 mask protocols during a Tuesday film session.

Driskel later tested positive for COVID-19.

Hinton played quarterback for a time while at Wake Forest University. He signed with the Broncos last spring as an undrafted college free agent before the team released him in September.

He rejoined the Broncos in mid-October and was working as a wide receiver on the team's practice squad.

The Broncos are now 4-7 and play at Kansas City on Sunday night, December 6. Coverage starts at 12 p.m. MST on KOA NewsRadio 850 AM and 94.1 FM.

KOA Broncos-Saints first half highlights.

KOA Broncos-Saints second half highlights.

KOA Broncos-Saints postgame interviews with, in order, quarterback Kendall Hinton and head coach Vic Fangio.