After the Denver Broncos traded for future Hall of Fame quarterback Russell Wilson several months ago, many felt the team would be a legitimate Super Bowl contender this season.
Fans throughout Colorado were very excited about the prospect of having a team that could win it all for the first time since Peyton Manning last season in 2015.
However, a lot has gone wrong for the Broncos since then.
The latest in their series of mishaps: An abysmal loss on Thursday to the mediocre Indianapolis Colts, 12-9.
Denver is now 2-3 on the season, which puts them in next-to-last place in the ultra-competitive AFC West, ahead of only the Las Vegas Raiders, who are experiencing their own inability to meet expectations.
It is now looking like the Broncos shouldn’t have gotten the hype they enjoyed during the spring and summer.
The Broncos Cannot Catch A Break
To be fair, the Broncos have been the recipient of plenty of bad luck lately.
It started with wide receiver Tim Patrick tore his ACL during practice in the beginning of August, which will prevent him from taking any snaps this season.
Then came knee injuries last week to running back Javonte Williams and pass rusher Randy Gregory.
Williams, like Patrick, is out for the year, while Gregory may be able to return several weeks from now.
But all these bolts from the blue have had nothing to do with Denver’s self-inflicted wounds.
Everyone remembers its flub towards the end of its Week 1 contest against the Seattle Seahawks when, facing a fourth down, it allowed the clock to run down before finally electing to kick a 64-yard field goal, which Brandon McManus missed.
Even when the Broncos defeated the San Francisco 49ers in Week 3, their best win so far this year, they were in need of tons of WD40 in order to loosen up their offense.
In that contest, they scored just 11 points while totaling only 261 yards of offense and 101 yards on the ground.
Russell Wilson: “Broncos Country.. Let’s Ride!”
The Ride: pic.twitter.com/16KI1tUMdb
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) October 7, 2022
Wilson, who was supposed to revitalize the dormant franchise, hasn’t been able to hold up his end of the bargain.
Is Wilson Over The Hill?
Wilson is a Super Bowl champion, a nine-time Pro Bowler and a man whose bust will be featured in Canton, Ohio someday.
But right now, he looks more like a mere mortal than someone who deserves to be bronzed for all of eternity.
Through four games, he has a 61.1 percent completion rate, a 3.1 percent touchdown rate and a 91.1 passer rating, all of which are career lows.
How much of this has to do with getting used to a new team and the injuries to skill players, and how much of this could be age-related (Wilson will turn 34 in late November)?
He showed a bit of slippage last season when he gained a career-low 183 yards on the ground.
Russell Wilson’s acceleration is GONE bruh pic.twitter.com/qYiSdGWok9
— Vountwo and two🤧 (@vountee) October 7, 2022
On Thursday, Wilson went 21 of 39 and threw zero touchdowns and two interceptions while getting sacked four times.
Unless head coach Nathaniel Hackett, who appears to be on the hot seat, finds a way to turn things around, the Broncos will have a lot of tough questions to answer and tough issues to solve this spring.
