The Denver Broncos have one more chance in the 2023 NFL season to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs. Sean Payton and Russell Wilson would be at the forefront of a potential win. If the Denver Broncos win on Sunday in Week 8, both Payton and Wilson will be the primary reasons why.
Depending on who you ask, both coach and quarterback are past their best days. Payton enjoyed a decade and a half of success in New Orleans. Some have said that his QB for that success, Drew Brees, was a bigger player in that. Some have said that we should view it as being more down the middle.
Well, with Payton's slow start in Denver, he's not exactly showing as of yet that he's still the elite coach he once was. On the other side, we have Russell Wilson, who has become the subject of a ton of criticism, fair and unfair, since arriving in Denver before the 2022 NFL season. However, he has turned it around statistically in 2023.
Still, some are not yet ready to proclaim that Russell Wilson is "back," if you will. On Sunday, though, a lot can change for the Denver Broncos. The Chiefs come to town not having lost to the Denver Broncos since 2015. The last game they lost to Denver was when Bradley Roby returned a short fumble recovery for a TD in the waning seconds of the game.
Since then, it's been all KC. At this point, it's beyond embarrassing. The Broncos have not only beaten the Chiefs in eight years, but they've also had one heck of a time winning games against the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers as well. With the amount of potential that has come with Payton and Wilson working together, the dam has to break in the Broncos' favor at some point, right?
We've seen spurts here and there of elite offensive output, but nothing has materialized into consistent play as of yet. On Sunday, if Sean Payton and Russell Wilson can lead the Denver Broncos to a win versus the Kansas City Chiefs, the entire direction of the franchise is changed. It puts the Broncos at 3-5, right back in the mix in the AFC.
Denver is also on their bye week in Week 9. It perhaps gives Payton hope that Russell Wilson still has some magic left in the tank. It also gives the Broncos more reason to add a player at the trade deadline; perhaps someone like Montez Sweat or Chase Young. For some in the fanbase, it may not change anything at all, but if nothing else, it would be a huge symbolic event that could have lasting impacts on the franchise going forward.