The Week 12 loss might have been the nail in the coffin for the Denver Broncos, who fell to 3-8 this week after Sam Darnold led the Panthers to a dominating 23-10 victory in Charlotte, NC. The Broncos, who had the potential to win the AFC West and make a serious playoff run this season with the acquisition of Russell Wilson, have officially fallen far short of expectations. 

The game was out of Denver’s reach for practically the entire 60 minutes of play. The Panthers found the endzone in the first quarter going up 7-0 and would later be leading 23-3 with 9 minutes to go. On Denver’s only touchdown-scoring drive, that was too little too late, they ran a whopping 20 plays to cross the goal line. 

Russell Wilson completed 19 of 35 passes for 142 yards and one touchdown during Denver’s seventh loss throughout its last eight games. He was sacked three times on Sunday, twice by defensive end Brian Burns. Burns also forced a fumble to cause a turnover. The Panthers, now 4-8 heading into their bye week, are 3rd in the NFC South; not too far behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons. 

Denver has now fallen to 14.3 points per game this season, the worst by any team in the NFL since the 2000 Browns at 10.1 points. Only twice this season has Denver scored more than 20 points during a game, largely due to Russell Wilson throwing just 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions through 12 weeks. Denver could have scored 18 points in regulation each game, and their record would be 9-2, as opposed to 3-8. 

Meanwhile, a video went viral showing Broncos defensive tackle Mike Purcell seemingly hurling frustrations at Russell Wilson on the sideline during the game. “There's no animosity there at all”, Wilson clarified post-game. The interaction looks heated nonetheless, a perfect demonstration of the tension that fans believe exists in the locker room between the successful Denver defense and the unproductive offense.

The future of the Denver Broncos, and Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett, is as unpredictable as ever. While the chance for a playoff appearance is slipping out of reach for Denver, so is Hackett’s chance at another year in Denver.