ENGLEWOOD — Russell Wilson arrived in Denver driven to enhance his legacy with championships. Wins define the nine-time Pro Bowler, whose career should end in Canton. The Broncos sit atop the AFC West with a 2-1 record, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs. Yet, no one is crediting the offense, which was supposed to run on nitromethane with Wilson starting and coach Nathaniel Hackett calling plays.
Through three games, the Broncos are the only team yet to score 20 points, ranking 31st in points (14.3) and last in red zone touchdown percentage (14.3, 1-for-7). It takes time to iron out the wrinkles with a new system, first-time head coach and a quarterback changing teams. But, no one can dispute it's been cringe-worthy for long stretches, including eight three-and-outs against San Francisco — the most in Wilson's career — and the home crowd booing on multiple occasions.
Wilson chooses to remain optimistic, seeing a group that is this close to gaining traction.
"There’s so much good there but there’s also some bad that we have to get rid of. Once we do that, we give ourselves a great chance (to win). Last game, we were able to move the ball well, and we didn’t capitalize for whatever reason. In this game, we felt like we capitalized on the touchdown and a couple of other plays but unfortunately not. We just have to get better," Wilson said.
"The good thing is, like I said, I’ve won a lot of football games in the National Football League and not every one of those was easy. All that matters at the end of the year is that there is a ‘W’ at the end of that column.”
Wilson is completing 59.4 percent of his passes, well below his career 64.9 percent, and boasts 743 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Wilson, however, sprinkled pixie dust in the fourth quarter, showing how he can make magic with his feet. His work outside the pocket on the game-winning drive proved the difference on a 12-yard scramble and a 27-yard completion to Kendall Hinton.
I asked Hackett if there is a point with this offense where he just has to trust Wilson to go make a play.
"Yeah, you never want guys to be robots. The offense — sometimes they want to press. They want a play to happen. I think that you just have to continue to live within the system and understand that’s going to happen. I think just looking at that last drive, there were some things that weren’t there and then trust that you know that it’s not there and make a play," Hackett said. "That’s part of the system. You want those guys to feel comfortable in doing that. You can’t get everybody open all the time. So, when that happens, that’s when those things get to get creative and that’s what happened.”
Wilson has only scrambled five times for 24 yards in three weeks. Is it time for that number to increase or should Wilson resist the temptation and continue working on getting comfortable in the new passing scheme?
There is clearly a balance to find and an adjustment to make. In Hackett's first year as Green Bay's offensive coordinator in 2019 — he helped with game plans, but Matt LaFleur called plays — Aaron Rodgers experienced a clunky transition. The Packers' passing game finished 16th in attempts, 17th in yards and 14th in touchdowns. In 2020, Rodgers won the first of back-to-back MVP awards, ranking 24th in attempts, ninth in yards and first in touchdowns.
So can the Broncos accelerate Wilson's progress with a team that is not considered as talented as those Packers' clubs? Or just forget patience and let him scribble outside the lines? First, the offense needs to find an identity.
"There are definitely things that we want to have a staple as what we do, and the guys believe in that stuff. We just have to continue to execute it better," Wilson said. "The small things, we have to make those easy plays when those things are there. I think if we do that, we’ll be more efficient.”
While folks nationally have started hand-wringing over Wilson, there are some other factors involved beyond the quarterback. The receiver routes looked too long against the pressure the 49ers were generating, mirroring some of the issues and drops seen against the Texans. For Wilson to hit his stride, he needs receivers beyond Courtland Sutton to start percolating. Sutton leads the Broncos with 19 receptions and 291 yards. The other receivers — Jerry Jeudy (7-130), Hinton (2-47), Tyrie Cleveland (2-28), K.J. Hamler and Montrell Washington haven't caught a ball yet — have combined for 11 catches.
And tight end Albert Okwuegbunam has 45 yards receiving, his role worth watching if his blocking does not improve.
So, Wilson has not posted his typical statistics. Will we still be talking about this Monday?
The Raiders are the worst defense the Broncos have faced, allowing 25.7 points per game (tied for 24th) and 267 yards passing (26th). This sets up as a week to lean more on the passing game as the Broncos aim for their first road win against the Raiders since Peyton Manning retired. Wilson owns 17 touchdowns (15 passing, two rushing) with four interceptions and a 98.7 rating in his last nine away games.
This could be the game that he looks like the Wilson of old rather than an old Wilson.
