Commanders Coach Ron Rivera Praises Broncos QB Russell Wilson

Washington Commanders coach Ron Rivera has seen some positive changes in Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson after paring up with Sean Payton.

The phenomenon of letting Russell Wilson "cook" went from praise of the Super Bowl champion quarterback to a meme.

Wilson was widely viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL just a few years ago, but in recent seasons and especially after last year, many view him as being on the last leg of his career. That is unless he is able to turn things around in Denver under the tutelage of new head coach Sean Payton. 

The former New Orleans Saints coach who was paired with future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees during his time in The Big Easy has been working on fixing Wilson. Something that Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera spoke about ahead of their meeting with another in Week 2, expressing that he has seen some major progress from Wilson. 

“I see he still has a good arm, good mobility back there," Rivera said. "They talked about how he had lost weight and you see it. He's moving well. He's still a good decision maker. He gets the ball out quick. He's got an NFL arm still. I think he's still learning and growing in [Denver Broncos Head] Coach [Sean] Payton's offense."

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Wilson had the worst season of his career this past year as his completion percentage (60.5), passing touchdowns (16), and passer rating (84.4) all were the lowest marks of his career, and it is evident he is no longer as elusive as he once was either as he was sacked a career-high 55 times. 

Wilson and the Broncos (0-1) came up one point shy in their Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, but he did complete 27-of-34 passes (79 percent) for 177 yards and threw two touchdown passes. The Washington defense needs to prevent him from getting into a rhythm and not allow for him to get comfortable in the pocket, otherwise, he will pick them apart. 

The Commanders and Broncos kick off at 4:25 p.m. on Sunday in Denver.