To say that the Denver Broncos incident did not go as planned would be an understatement. After a disastrous 5-12 season in Denver in 2022, things have somehow gotten worse so far in 2023.
The Broncos suffered an embarrassing 31-21 loss at home to Zach Wilson’s New York Jets and are now 1-4 (2-3 at this time last year). Although the Nuggets led 13-8 at halftime, the Nuggets completely struggled in the second half. But a late touchdown and Patrick Surtain interception gave the Broncos a late push to either win or tie the game. Quarterback Russell Wilson gets a chance to cook.
Unfortunately, Wilson’s serve was all errors and he really threw the game away.
Needless to say, head coach Sean Payton wasn’t necessarily impressed with his quarterback’s performance.
Payton has seemed to be at odds with his quarterback for some time. From suggestions that wristbands were required (which Pete Carroll mentioned last year and was criticized by some as “petty”) to blatantly insulting comments about Wilson’s personal brand, the marriage appears to be in jeopardy.
Denver’s struggles do beg the question: Are Wilson’s days as Payton’s starting quarterback in jeopardy? Not long ago, this would have been nearly unthinkable, but as the Broncos’ losses piled up, Payton’s previously undisputed status as one of the best head coaches was quickly dismantled.
Denver has one Thursday night football This week’s matchup with the Chiefs, obviously followed by a long break, is considered by many to be a “mini bye” week. If Wilson — or the Broncos as a whole — underperforms again, I don’t think Payton is going to make his former Pro Bowl quarterback some sort of victim. Perhaps the extra time between games could be used to prepare backup Jarrett Stidham (who signed a two-year, $10 million deal) to start.
Things are getting desperate in the Mile High City, and on a struggling team, one move a struggling head coach can always make is to replace the quarterback in order to win extra points. A few weeks grace period.
We’re probably in Denver right now.
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Story originally appeared on Seahawks Wire
