Sean Payton: Russell Wilson is doing these things well

The raw numbers on Russell Wilson — 16 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, a 101.7 passer rating — all add up to a solid eight games for the Broncos’ 12th-year quarterback. Some of the numbers and trends beyond, on the other hand, reveal signs of trouble.

But Sean Payton is looking at something different — beyond base-level numbers and advanced analytics regarding the quarterback position.

“Those numbers are all good,” Payton said when the touchdown-to-interception tally arose during his conference call with Denver-area media Monday morning, “and I think the most important thing is how we’re playing as a team and how we’re playing as an offense. The No. 1 job is to get us in the end zone.”

Sean Payton, on Russell Wilson: "…I think the things that … I've been encouraged with are obviously the off-schedule plays; he does a great job of working the pocket, climbing the pocket… & then continuing to look at reducing the turnovers, managing the game the right way." pic.twitter.com/AVlc9IuGmV

— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) November 6, 2023

AT SCORING, RUSSELL WILSON AND BRONCOS ARE MID-PACK OVERALL

And frankly, the results have been scattershot. The Broncos rank 16th in the league in scoring offense and 22nd in the league in total offense. But Denver is also first in passing touchdown percentage, with 6.9 percent of their pass plays winding up in the end zone.

The Week 8 win over the Chiefs illuminated that. With help from some good field position caused by five takeaways, three of 19 pass attempts — and three of 25 pass plays, including sacks taken by Wilson — ended in touchdowns.

The ability to cash in is part of what encourages Payton regarding Russell Wilson.

“Obviously the off-schedule plays, he does a great job of working the pocket, climbing the pocket, he makes a real good throw to [Jerry] Jeudy last week doing that, Courtland [Sutton] the same way,” Payton said. “And then continuing to look at reducing the turnovers, managing the game the right way and understanding who we’re playing and how we’re playing it. All of those things.”

Payton didn’t use the specific term “game manager,” although a reference to “managing the game” certainly would reflect the Broncos’ re-emphasis on judicious passing based off establishing the run, which has become the team’s modus operandi in the last three games.

He also spoke of Wilson’s transition to the offense.

“That transition for him so far, he’s in his third offense now in three years, and every day working at it, working his tail off at it,” Wilson said.

“So, I would say, to answer your question, I would say that man, there’s a lot of things that we’ve been impressed with that he’s doing very well, and there’s some things that obviously, he wants to improve on and collectively, we want to offensively.”

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