The Denver Broncos fell to 2-3 after a terrible loss on Thursday Night Football to start Week 5.
Russell Wilson’s first season in Denver is not going as planned for anyone involved.
He looks like a shell of the quarterback we were accustomed to for the first nine years of his career.
After five weeks of having one of the worst offenses in the NFL, it makes you wonder if they will ever fix the issues.
The Broncos are averaging 15.0 points per game, and are lucky to have won two games.
Despite having plenty of weapons at his disposal, nothing seems to work.
Wilson’s connection with Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton leaves a lot to be desired.
Both receivers have combined for three touchdowns through five games.
But Wilson is the one posting statistical lows.
He has thrown four touchdowns and three interceptions this year, while also posting a career-low in completion percentage of 59.4%.
Last night, Russell Wilson went 0-6 on pass attempts to the end zone, including an interception.
He is now 2-18 on pass attempts to the end zone this season. That 11% completion rate is the worst in the NFL (min. 10 attempts). pic.twitter.com/1cPuW2rB4I
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 7, 2022
One reason for the awful start to the season could be the lack of chemistry on the offense.
Not only is Wilson unfamiliar with the receivers but his head coach is also a first-timer in Denver.
Nathaniel Hackett is under fire for how his team has played this season.
As an offensive coach that worked with Aaron Rodgers the past few seasons, he and Wilson were supposed to hit the ground running.
Instead, everything Denver tries on offense looks difficult.
Playing at home on Thursday they were unable to score a touchdown.
There are no easy completions in this offense and losing running back, Javonte Williams is a big loss.
One thing the Broncos lead the NFL in is punts.
They have punted the ball 26 times this season.
That is remarkable with the high expectations and hype surrounding this team heading into the year.
Wilson Trade Fallout
Expectations are the reason this Wilson downfall seems so dramatic.
He was given a monster contract extension before the year and Denver thought they had their next Peyton Manning locked up.
Even Manning in the final year of his career was good enough to help the Broncos win the Super Bowl.
This version of Wilson will have the Broncos picking in the top 10.
But, the trade to get Wilson leaves the Broncos without any first-round pick for the 2023 draft.
So even if they are terrible this year they get nothing out of it.
This trade has Denver in serious trouble.
They are stuck with Wilson after the extension, and have no draft picks to find his future replacement.
In the 2023 draft, their first pick will be in the third round after trading both their first and second rounds to Seattle.
The Seahawks must be thrilled that they traded Wilson before extending him themselves.
Geno Smith looks really good this season and they have four picks in the first two rounds of the 2023 draft.
Geno Smith has more
Completions
Completion percentage
Passing yards
Yards per attempt
Touchdowns
QB ratingthan Russell Wilson this season. pic.twitter.com/Mt3PyQSVLy
— StatMuse (@statmuse) October 2, 2022
Wilson is 33 years old, so maybe he is starting to fall off.
Every QB goes through it as they get older but it is usually not dramatic as Wilson’s falloff.
He does not appear to be injured so it looks like his best years are behind him.
NEXT: The NFL Must Be Trolling Fans With Nonstop Broncos Games