The 2022 NFL season hasn’t gone as planned for Russell Wilson or the Denver Broncos. With the team sitting at 2-4 and mired in a three-game losing streak following Monday’s overtime loss to the Chargers, things are looking bleak in the Mile High City.
Wilson started on fire but finished a miserable 3-for-11 for 15 passing yards in the entire second half, including overtime. The marriage between first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett and Wilson has gotten off to a very rocky start in play-calling and in-game execution.
Following Wilson’s rather pedestrian play where he went 15-for-28 for 188 yards and one touchdown, it was reported that he suffered a significant hamstring injury and is day-to-day.
QB Russell Wilson (hamstring) is "day to day," per Coach Hackett.
Injury report » https://t.co/3k6gwuUy8l pic.twitter.com/syLO7MzJ2M
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 18, 2022
What’s wild about his play and subsequent injury is Jackson State head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders predicted this would happen if Wilson played bad in a loss.
On Sunday, during a segment called “I Believe” on The Pro Football Sports Show on Barstool Sports, Sanders prophetically said:
“OK, if this game stinks, meaning, his performance, you’re going to see him go out with an injury, surgery, or something. He’s going to get out of there. This year, he’s going to get out of there. Quarterbacks are not built, are not made, psychologically, to take that kind of badgering.”
Sanders continued:
“The social media, they love it, but they can’t take it. He’s gonna get out of there, and then you’re going to hear former Seahawks players come out of the woodworks, taking shots. Watch.”
Broncos’ Offense Has Been Putrid With Wilson At The Helm
Since 2015, when Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning retired, the Broncos have had 11 different quarterbacks under center not named Russell Wilson. And each year the offense was nothing to write home about. The addition of Wilson at quarterback and Hackett’s “innovative and creative” play-calling was supposed to change the offensive dynamic for a team that’s always played great defense.
With Wilson and Hackett leading the way, disappointment abounds. The Broncos have only scored more than 20 points once this season, in a 32-23 loss to the one-win Raiders. In four prime time games they’ve mustered a combined 52 points, 13 points per outing. Six games into the 2022 season and Wilson has just five touchdowns and three interceptions. Hackett has to take some of the blame for a stale offense scheme, but Wilson’s play has been underwhelming in just about every phase.
The amount of HS level basic stuff the Broncos offense struggles with blows my mind
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) October 18, 2022
Joe Buck Says Broncos Should’ve Played Their Offensive Starters In The Preseason
Denver decided against playing their offensive starters in the preseason. And while that works for teams that have been together for some time, it would’ve been wise to play Wilson and the starting offense, to gain some sense of continuity on that side of the football. Instead, Denver opted to hit the road running on opening night, and it’s been a disaster.
In fact, ESPN “MNF” play-by-play analyst Joe Buck spoke to that exact point.
“I wonder if they could have a do-over on the preseason … but they don’t play anybody in their offense in the preseason. And Russell Wilson I think is carrying a lot of pressure … and they just didn’t look ready to start the season offensively. It hasn’t gotten any better. The pressure continues to mount. It’s just feeding on itself.”
Buck is right.
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