National Football League

Is Russell Wilson cooked? Broncos QB fades again in loss to Chargers

Published Oct. 18, 2022 9:00 a.m. ET

By Eric D. Williams
FOX Sports NFC West Writer

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — A frustrated Justin Simmons perhaps put it best.

"Everyone knows the definition of insanity," the Denver Broncos Pro Bowl safety said after his team's humbling road loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. "We can't keep doing the same things week in and week out and think they are going to change. From that standpoint, we've just got to be better."

The Broncos are doing their part defensively, holding teams to just 16.5 points a game.

The offense, however, led by a new offensive mastermind in head coach Nathaniel Hackett — along with high-dollar quarterback Russell Wilson — has fallen woefully short of expectations at the start of the regular season.

When the Broncos traded for Wilson and inked him to a five-year, $245 million contract extension, they expected him to play as he did in the first half of Monday's game at SoFi Stadium. Wilson sizzled early, starting the game 10-of-10 for 116 yards, including a 39-yard touchdown to tight end Greg Dulcich. The 33-year-old signal-caller totaled 176 passing yards in the first half.

Denver's problem this season, though, has been how Wilson and the offense's play have deteriorated in the second half.

That was the case again vs. the Chargers. Wilson completed just 3-of-11 passes for 12 yards in the second half, and the Broncos wasted an impressive defensive effort against another talented quarterback in Justin Herbert, losing to the Chargers 19-16 in overtime.

The Broncos dropped their third straight game, falling to 2-4 with the loss, while the Chargers improved to 4-2 on the season, winning their third game in a row.

Kicker Dustin Hopkins was the hero for L.A., finishing 4-of-4 on field goals, including the game winner from 39 yards while dealing with a hamstring issue.

The Broncos have been a hot mess on offense so far this season, averaging a league-worst 15 points a game. Wilson is completing just 58.6% of his passes. His 83.4 passer rating would be the lowest during his 10-year NFL career.

How bad are the Broncos offensively? Drew Lock, the quarterback Wilson replaced in Denver, averaged 20 points a contest during his time with the Broncos. Denver has just seven touchdowns through six games.

The Broncos should have been ready. They had 11 days to prepare for the Bolts. They played decisive, efficient football in the first half. But in the second half, the Broncos punted six times and mustered only a field goal against a Los Angeles defense that's giving up 27 points a game.

Penalties and poor execution continue to plague the Broncos. They lead the NFL in penalties and amassed 151 penalty yards against L.A. Denver cornerback Damarri Mathis was called for four defensive pass interference penalties that helped to extend drives for the Chargers.

Offensively, the Broncos were 4-of-14 (29%) on third down and 0-for-1 in the red zone. Wilson was sacked four times, appearing to struggle at times to decode L.A.'s pressures up the gut of Denver's offense.

But the backbreaker came in overtime, when Broncos safety P.J. Locke was blocked into returner Montrell Washington, who muffed a punt that was recovered by L.A.'s Deane Leonard at Denver's 28-yard line, setting up the Chargers' winning field goal.

"Players need to be more urgent," Hackett said after the game. "We had some opportunities there, and we've got to execute at a higher level. We've got to come up with some better plays."

Bottom line is those better plays must be executed by Hackett and Wilson. The Broncos invested too much money in the quarterback position for an offense that to this point is among the worst in the NFL.

Wilson did create some chunk plays, with three completed passes of 37 yards or more. And he's also dealing with a shoulder injury and a hamstring strain he suffered late in the game that are affecting his performance.

However, one of the reasons Wilson wanted out of Seattle was to have more say and control in the offense. To this point, his transition to a new offense and a new city has been tough, to put it kindly.

As usual, Wilson said all the right things afterward. And sitting just two games behind the AFC West leaders in the Kansas City Chiefs (4-2) and the Chargers, there's certainly time for the Broncos to kickstart the offense. Wilson said there's no division or beef between the offense and the defense.

He did not end his media availability with his signature, "Broncos country, let's ride." Instead, Wilson lamented that his team lost a game that it should have won, and he said the Broncos must keep going.

"The reality is we've got to be better," Wilson said. "We've got to play sharper. We've got to find ways to make plays, continue to get first downs, touchdowns. … We've got to answer the call. Adversity is definitely challenging us right now, and the only way I know through it all is just to continue to work hard, continue to believe."

But, as Simmons stated, things must change, and that change must start with more efficient play from the most important and influential person on the field: Russell Wilson.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.