Fraud Watch: Broncos, Colts among teams we still don't fully trust

The Denver Broncos entered Thursday Night Football with a hint of fraudulence about their 7-2 record. They came out of it 8-2, but that whiff is turning into a stench.

The Denver defense was, and is, great. It added six more sacks to its league-leading total and looks capable of keeping the Broncos in any game.

But that offense. Woof. Denver didn't record a single first down until midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Bo Nix also continued his habit of playing a mostly terrible first half, except there wasn't a late rally to improve his final statistics this time. He threw for 150 yards against a middling Las Vegas defense and was intercepted twice.

Although the performance was enough for an ugly 10-7 victory, it didn't do much to erase suspicions that the Nix-led Broncos offense isn't competent enough to win games when it really counts in January. The Denver crowd was certainly displeased, showering the team with boos on several occasions. The Broncos walked off the field Thursday with the NFL's best record, but you wouldn't know it judging by the fan response.

"I've been booed before, and I'll be booed again," Nix said. Not exactly the kind of quote they'll put on T-shirts.

The good news for the Broncos is that they won't have to wait long to prove the fraud talk wrong: Kansas City visits next week.

The other handy thing is that Denver has some company among likely playoff clubs that aren't entirely convincing. Fraud Watch has been busy.

The Indianapolis Colts had really done nothing to earn doubts until last weekend. They had the best offense in football and, unlike the Broncos, were winning games convincingly. But in Pittsburgh, they received an awkward reminder that their quarterback is, in fact, Daniel Jones, with the former New York Giant throwing three interceptions and fumbling twice in a 27-20 loss to the Steelers.

Jones has looked reborn in Shane Steichen's offense, and recent NFL history suggests it's possible for quarterbacks to morph into a different version of themselves when they land in the right coaching situation. But this is the same guy who had six largely forgettable seasons in New York and was benched last year because the Giants feared that injury guarantees would keep him tied to them. Picking up another team's discarded players isn't generally the best way to discover a franchise quarterback.

The Colts, however, have made noises about wanting to sign Jones to a long-term extension, seemingly satisfied by what they've seen from him over the first eight weeks. To which we say, maybe give it a bit more time.

Chatter has also surfaced about a quarterback contract extension from the team that beat the Colts. But the tricky thing for the Steelers isn't their signal-caller's history, but rather how much past he has. At 41 years old, Aaron Rodgers has been better than expected this season - 17 touchdowns, five interceptions - but Pittsburgh has tailored its offense to his (remaining) strengths. Rodgers has the lowest intended air yards per pass attempt of any qualified quarterback, and the Steelers have allowed him to nibble his way down the field while protecting the ball and trying to avoid sacks.

Although that might be enough to win a woeful AFC North, Rodgers and Pittsburgh will get chances in the season's second half to show whether their strategy will work against heavyweights. The Steelers still have to face Buffalo, Detroit, and Baltimore (twice). Fraud Watch will have a keen eye on those matchups.

Over in the NFC, it's harder to make a case for clubs with suspiciously inflated records, largely because there aren't many. The Eagles haven't been entirely convincing at 6-2, but they get a pass as the defending champions. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers' 6-2 record is impressive, given their poor luck with injuries this season. The Rams (6-2) will be a tough out as long as Matthew Stafford remains healthy.

Fraud Watch is also keeping an eye on the Seahawks. Like the Colts, Seattle (6-2) has posted several blowout wins thanks to a potent offense. Quarterback Sam Darnold, with 16 touchdowns and five interceptions, has impressed not just in obvious ways but also in underlying stats. He leads the league in yards per completion and trails only Stafford in intended air yards per attempt.

Darnold has been chucking it, but questions remain.

The former Jets bust deserves a lot of credit for resurrecting his career. As he did in Minnesota last season, Darnold has looked nothing like the player of his youth this year. Yet the same sentiments still linger. He could do no wrong in leading the Vikings to a 13-3 record, but then did so many things wrong in a pair of blowout losses - the regular-season finale in Detroit and in the playoffs against the Rams.

Is it fair to wonder if Darnold will turn into a pumpkin again at the worst possible time? Not entirely. But Fraud Watch has a long memory.

Scott Stinson is a contributing writer for theScore.