The Denver Broncos have gotten off to a disastrous start in the 2023 season. They are 1-3, but things could actually be worse if not for a ferocious come-from-behind win against the Chicago Bears in Week 4.
Trailing by 21 points in the fourth quarter, the Broncos were able to mount a historic comeback, eventually stealing away a 31-28 victory. It was a must-win game for Denver, who could not afford to fall to 0-4 if they wanted any shot of turning things around.
Week 5 presents yet another must-win scenario as they will be facing the New York Jets. New York comes in at 1-3 as well but has some extra motivation. Broncos’ head coach Sean Payton ripped apart Jets’ offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, providing New York with plenty of motivation in this game.
Hackett was the head coach of the Broncos in 2022 and it would not be an exaggeration to say he did one of the worst head coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. He was fired after Week 16 and the team went 4-11.
One of the biggest reasons the Broncos struggled last season was the inability to get Hackett and quarterback Russell Wilson on the same page. Wilson has played much better this season under Payton, more closely resembling the quarterback we became accustomed to seeing during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
But, something still feels off when watching him play. Colin Cowherd discussed it on a recent episode of his show, The Herd on FS1 and FOX Sports. In his opinion, Wilson isn’t washed, but expectations need to be adjusted because he has aged.
“That’s the Russell Wilson issue. He’s aged, he’s not washed… He does not have the juice he’s had in previous seasons,” Cowherd said when discussing the Broncos’ quarterback.
Through four weeks, Wilson has more touchdown passes than Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, all three of whom reset the quarterback market in recent months. Fewer interceptions have been thrown by Wilson than by Tua Tagovailoa, Jared Goff and Josh Allen.
The production is there, but it has not translated to victories. That certainly isn’t Wilson’s doing, as the defensive production has fallen off of a cliff this season after being among the best in 2022.
There are a lot of issues to iron out for the Broncos. Wilson is part of that with his aging skill set, but he is far from the only reason the team hasn’t been winning since they acquired him last offseason.
