Russell Wilson finally wins over Broncos Country with one gutty play
Dec 12, 2022, 6:00 AM | Updated: 8:16 am
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The Broncos didn’t win on Sunday. That was hard to gather from their head coach’s postgame press conference, where everything was once again a sea of “awesomeness.” And it was difficult to sense in the locker room, where the mood was surprisingly upbeat after a 31-28 loss to the Chiefs.
But that doesn’t mean nothing was won during the game.
This isn’t about moral victories. Denver lost for the fifth-straight time. They’re now 3-10 on the season, in the midst of a sixth-consecutive losing season. And they fell to Kansas City for the 14th time in a row.
They get zero points for battling until the end. They don’t get credit for making it close, clawing back from a 27-0 deficit. And they don’t get any kudos for keeping it interesting, providing what was arguably the most-entertaining game of an otherwise dreadful season.
It doesn’t matter if Nathaniel Hackett thinks so. It’s irrelevant what the players say. A loss is a loss is a loss.
But something positive did come out of the defeat. Russell Wilson won over Broncos Country.
Every time the quarterback has played at Empower Field this season, he’s been booed. From his first home game, a 16-9 victory over the Texans, the signal caller has been in the crosshairs of the fans. And rightfully so.
For the most part this season, the Broncos offense has been terrible. They’ve been even worse at home, scoring just 59 total points in five games in front of the orange-and-blue faithful heading into Sunday.
As the face of the franchise, as well as the player who was supposed to come in and save the team from the doldrums that they’ve been trapped in since winning Super Bowl 50, Wilson deservedly got most of the criticism for Denver’s ineptitude. The quarterback always gets too much credit, as well as too much blame. That’s the way it works.
Against the Chiefs, that pattern continued. When Wilson threw a pick-six in the second quarter that made the score 27-0 in favor of Kansas City, the boo birds were out. They were letting the quarterback know that they weren’t happy.
But then, a funny thing happened. Wilson responded with his most-inspired play of the season.
He threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jerry Jeudy in the final two minutes of the first half to get the Broncos back into the game. Then, he connected with Marlon Mack on a screen pass on the opening drive after intermission to cut the Chiefs lead to 27-21.
At that moment, Broncos Country got a glimpse of the magic that Wilson can bring to the table. They got a taste of the comeback kid that became a legend in Seattle by leading the Seahawks to improbable win after improbable win.
The quarterback was pumping his fist. He was fired up, letting a season’s worth of frustration come flowing out as he celebrated the score.
Denver fell further behind, however, as Patrick Mahomes threw a third touchdown pass late in the third quarter to put the Chiefs ahead 34-21. But Wilson didn’t quit.
He answered on the next drive, leading the Broncos down the field. When things appeared to stall, he pulled another rabbit out of his hat.
The Broncos faced a second-and-34 at the Chiefs 39-yard line. Things appeared hopeless. But then, Wilson hit Greg Dulcich on a 23-yard completion to set up third-and-11. Then came the play that should endear the quarterback to his new fan base.
With no one open, Wilson tucked the ball, ran to the right and headed toward the end zone. He didn’t slide. He didn’t look for the sidelines. Instead, he took on defenders, made sure he got the first down and took a brutal hit in the process.
The quarterback was knocked out cold. He wound up with a golf-ball-sized knot on his right forehead and declared out of the game with a concussion.
But he set up a first-and-goal from the two that eventually ended in a third Jerry Jeudy touchdown reception, this one from Brett Rypien. His play put the Broncos in a position to get back into the game. It gave them a chance to win.
More importantly, it showed tremendous heart and courage. It demonstrated that Wilson will do whatever it takes to help his team win.
It’d be easy for the quarterback to make “business decisions” at this point in the season. His team was 3-9 at the time. He’s sitting on a contract that will pay him $250 million over the next seven years. He’s married to a pop star. He galavants all over the world in a private jet, hobnobbing with the elite. He has no reason to put his body on the line in what amounted to a meaningless game.
But he did. And that should make Broncos Country love him.
Has this season been a huge disappointment? Of course. Has Wilson failed to live up to the hype? To put it mildly.
But he’s a battler. He plays hard no matter what. He’ll do whatever it takes to try to win.
Those are traits that are easy to get behind. Those are things that make a player easy to root for and support.
When Wilson was helped off the field after the play, he received a rousing ovation from the Broncos faithful. It was perhaps the biggest cheer the quarterback has received all season.
Denver didn’t win on Sunday, but Russell Wilson did. He finally won over a fan base that was hesitant to embrace a flashy, superstar quarterback. That all changed on one play.
Broom the head coach. Upgrade the roster. Perhaps even send the general manager packing. That’s what is looming this offseason in Denver.
But Wilson is the quarterback. And he’s one that Broncos Country can finally get behind.
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