Russell Wilson has started the 2023 season much better than he did last season, but his head coach is still unhappy.
When the Broncos jumped out to a 21-3 lead against Washington on Sunday, it seemed as if the team would notch their first victory of the year. Payton was 73-0 when his teams held a lead of 18 points or more and Russell Wilson’s teams in Seattle had never blown that big of a lead.
The comeback was coming up and the team squandered away the lead and lost.
After the game, it seemed as if Payton knew just who to blame for the collapse and that was his quarterback and he explained why. Addressing reporters after Week 2’s loss, he noted Denver’s slow communication and suggested quarterback Russell Wilson could soon be required to wear a wristband for play calls.
“Gosh,” Payton said when asked about late-game sluggishness. “It was more than just one drive. There (were) a number of drives where we’re late with personnel, getting out of the huddle we took a while. I mean, that’s gotta change. We had to burn timeouts in the first half (and) I’m not used to doing (that). We’ve gotta be better. I’ve gotta be better. Russ has gotta be sharper with getting the play out, and then we’ve gotta look at how much we have in. But, you know, if we need to wristband it, we will.”
Wilson was much more productive for Denver on Sunday, throwing three touchdowns, but his team just cannot string together wins since he has been in town.
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It remains to be seen if and when Payton will actually implement a change in the offensive communication. Denver’s next matchup comes Sunday against the Dolphins, who are 2-0 after edging the Patriots in prime time.
Payton is off to a worse start than Hackett, who began 2-1 before losing 10 of his last 12 games.
How patient Payton is willing to be with Wilson can soon turn into an open question in Denver if the 0-2 start snowballs. The Broncos signed Jarrett Stidham to a two-year, $10 million contract this offseason, a sizable contract for a backup. He has sounded like a man who wouldn’t hesitate to bench Wilson if he has to.
