Denver Broncos fans have been frustrated with Russell Wilson this season.
The team traded a plethora of draft picks and three players to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for Wilson in March, then the Broncos gave Wilson a five-year, $245 million contract extension.
The results have been disastrous thus far as Wilson has posted a 3-9 win-loss record, by far the worst of his career, and his performances have been poor. Add in the QB’s relentlessly positive personality that has rubbed some fans the wrong way, and one can understand why Wilson hasn’t been very popular in Denver this season.
Wilson has his faults. His on-field performances haven’t been good enough. But the QB’s personality isn’t a problem, and countless players and coaches have praised his work ethic and leadership. Fans might not believe it, but Wilson is more frustrated than they are, and he’s still fighting.
Wilson proved that on Sunday.
“He was fighting the whole game,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said after Wilson led a near-comeback against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. “I give him so much credit and you see it, day-in and day-out. No matter what the situation is, just watching him there in that third-down situation to be able to break the pocket, and he was using his legs a lot.
“He obviously ended up getting a concussion. I think our medical team did a great job of getting him in here. He’s in the concussion protocol now. So we’ll go through that step-by-step process and do it the right way. But he played really well.”
Even after falling behind 27-0 against the Chiefs, Wilson didn’t quit fighting. He helped the Broncos battle back, both with his legs and with his arm, putting the team in position to make it a one-score game before getting knocked out of the contest with a concussion.
Wilson’s comeback effort fell short — perhaps primarily because of his injury — but it demonstrated what the quarterback is capable of as a leader and competitor. If he plays like that in 2023, fans in Denver will quickly change their tune on Wilson.
