It was a mistake to only give Russell Wilson one series against SF

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson only got one series against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night.

That was a mistake.

Just when Wilson was coming off his best week of training camp, and had a really encouraging 13-play drive, Sean Payton decided he had seen enough.

Well, enough of Wilson at least.

Even though the franchise QB was told to take a seat, the rest of the offensive starters stayed out there with backup QB Jarrett Stidham. Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Javonte Williams were all still on the field. Wilson remained on the sideline.

Payton said his starters would get 20-24 snaps, then Wilson only got 13. Last time I checked, Wilson is a starter.

The head coach had a very good debut in Arizona, making the starters go do it again for a fourth time after failing to score points on their first three possessions. Payton’s decision making wasn’t quite as sharp in Santa Clara, and left a little something to be desired.

“It was part of the plan going in. To play him 15 (plays) or so. And then get Stidham some work with the first group before we made the overall change,” Payton said after the game.

Look, with all due respect to Stidham, if he has to play significant time with the starters this season, the Broncos are cooked.

He hasn’t looked particularly sharp at camp and didn’t do anything to change that perception in the first two preseason games. It’s Wilson or bust — and deep down Payton has to know that.

Much like the QB reps at camp have been perplexing, so was the decision to remove Wilson so early. Even former Broncos QB Jake Plummer said earlier this month he didn’t understand why Payton was giving so many reps to Stidham and third-stringer Ben Dinucci.

Wilson’s still only found the end zone once in the preseason, and that came on fourth-down against a lousy Cardinals team.

But if Payton had given him another chance or two on Saturday, a touchdown felt likely. Wilson used his legs the best we’ve ever seen in a Broncos uniform, running three times for 25 yards. Another long one got called back because of a hold.

Why not let him keep building that confidence? Why not trot him back out there for another seven to 11 plays as promised? The thinking just doesn’t quite add up.

Wilson can say all he wants his confidence wasn’t shaken after last year. But he’s human like the rest of us, and it’d be impossible for him to not have a few doubts after playing the worst season of his career.

And just when it felt like “Seattle Russ” was back, Payton decided that was it. One lousy series. It wasn’t enough.

We’ll have to see how this week shakes out. The Broncos have two joint practices with the Rams before a preseason finale on Saturday. If the glorified scrimmages with Los Angeles go well, Wilson might not see a snap in front of the home fans.

Is that enough work to say he’s ready for Week 1? Four series against Arizona and one against San Francisco? Rust was clearly an issue last year after Nathaniel Hackett refused to play his starters in the preseason. Let’s hope we don’t see that movie again.

Payton’s a very good coach. A Super Bowl winner and likely Hall of Fame inductee one day. But that doesn’t mean he can’t make a bad decision now and then. And on Saturday night he made one that’s easy to poke holes in.

We’ll have to see how this team looks on Sept. 10 against the Raiders, particularly Wilson. Did he get an adequate amount of preseason football under his belt?

Well, we’re fixing to find out.

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