The Russell Wilson era in Denver is likely coming to an end after the 2023 NFL Season. Let's look at the five best moments during this 30-game experience with Wilson under center. A ton of news broke yesterday regarding the Broncos and Russell Wilson. Wilson is heading towards the bench and the franchise is prepared to cut the QB after the season.
It was definitely a bombshell news day for Broncos Country, but I do not think many of us are actually surprised. Simply put, Wilson was not getting it done in Denver, even this year. His statistics look nice, but a lot of it are just empty calories. Wilson and the Broncos' passing game is inept. There is no intermediate phase with this unit and Wilson is someone who takes a ton of sacks.
However, there were still some great moments during the Russell Wilson era. Let's look at the top five.
Denver Broncos: 5 best moments of Russell Wilson era
5. Game-winning TD drive versus 49ers in Week 3, 2022
Remember this game? The Denver Broncos went into the game 1-1 after a win against the Houston Texans in the previous week. They were down 10-5 late in the game. If you remember, the Broncos were able to force San Francisco 49ers' QB Jimmy Garoppolo into a safety, so that's where the five points came from.
Well, this was the first iteration of the vintage Russell Wilson we saw at times during his tenure in Denver. He led a game-winning TD drive, but the two-point conversion was no good. The defense forced a late turnover and held on for an 11-10 victory in one of the more intense wins of the Russell Wilson era.
4. Game-winning TD drive versus Vikings in Week 11, 2023
Hey look, another game-winning scoring drive! During the Denver Broncos five-game win streak earlier this year, they played several close games and two of those called for the offense to lead a scoring drive late in the game. The Broncos offense was putrid for most of the game against the Vikings, but Wilson used Courtland Sutton and his RBs to lead this game-winning TD drive.
The Broncos secured a one-point victory at home, as Wilson threw a jump-ball to Sutton in the endzone. This extended the Broncos winning streak to four games.
3. Game-winning FG drive versus Bills in Week 10, 2023
The Denver Broncos went into the bye week riding a two-game winning streak. They were 3-5 and had their biggest test of the season up to that point. The Broncos hung with the Buffalo Bills all game, and really played some of their best ball on defense all year, forcing multiple turnovers.
Well, the Bills took a 22-21 lead with under two minutes left, and the offense needed to at least get in FG range. Well, this game-winning FG drive was vintage Russell Wilson. He made insane, smart plays and drove the Broncos down the field. Wil Lutz missed the first attempt to win the game, but the Bills had 12 men on the field, so Lutz got another shot, and he aced it.
This was a very fun game.
2. Being demoted to QB2 after Week 16, 2023
This might sound very petty and unnecessary, but Russell Wilson being demoted to the bench essentially signals the end of the era in Denver. Even though Wilson is top-10 in a handful of QB categories, a lot of what he's done has been empty calories, as the Broncos offense is very one-dimensional. It doesn't have a dropback game at all; there is no intermediate passing game in the offense, and it's one of the most inefficient passing attacks in the NFL.
If Russell Wilson wasn't checking it done to a RB or throwing it deep, there was nothing happening. He was either taking a sack or throwing incompletions. What we may see over the next two games are the Broncos trying to run this offense the way Sean Payton has envisioned. Backup QB Jarrett Stidham fits this offense more than Wilson does, and I think if the unit goes out and performs the way Payton hopes they do, we'll have even more confirmation that benching Wilson was the right move.
1. Ending the streak versus Chiefs in Week 8, 2023
If nothing else, one thing that we can thank Russell Wilson for is helping the Denver Broncos end the infamous losing streak against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8 of the 2023 NFL Season. It was the first time the Broncos had beaten the Chiefs since 2015, and Wilson really was not asked to do a lot in this game, but he managed the game well and tossed three TD passes.
It was a pure dominating performance if we're being honest. The Broncos defense held the Chiefs out of the endzone, and the offense was able to move the ball plenty against their stingy defense. Apparently, Patrick Mahomes was battling a sickness during this game, but who cares? The Broncos and Russell Wilson took it to KC, and perhaps that win helped spark the rest of the team's winning streak.
Again, if nothing else, this is one thing we can thank Russell Wilson for. He was brought in to help the Broncos get over the edge, but that did not happen. However, he was also brought in, among other things, to help the Broncos finally compete with the Chiefs, and in Week 8, they finally ended the streak.