Jets Country

Ahead of Jets-Broncos Matchup, What's Wrong With Russell Wilson?

If Russell Wilson continues to struggle this week, the Jets will have an even better shot to win their fourth game in a row on Sunday.

Daniel Kelly

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The game film says the Broncos are in serious trouble with Russell Wilson.

The former Seahawks quarterback was supposed to be the answer for the Broncos, but that has not been the case.

Denver gave up a lot to pull off this blockbuster trade. It cost them some high draft picks, a handful of players and a $245 million dollar contract extension.

While the season is still young, the move is not looking good.

New York (4-2) heads to Empower Field at Mile High Sunday to take on the Broncos (2-4), and just about everyone is asking the same question.

What's wrong with Wilson?

The answer is several layers deep.

To begin, the timing between Wilson and Denver's receivers is off.

The QB is like a drummer in a band, and he is responsible for rhythm and tempo of the offense.

Against SF (9/25), LV (10/2) and IND (10/6) Wilson brought a slow, methodical and worn out pace to Denver's offensive attack.

Wilson looks like a candle in the wind that is slowly going out. Even the television announcers allude to certain "moments" where he looks like his old self, which means the rest of the time, he doesn't.

It's that obvious.

Wilson's ball placement is all over the road at all three route levels. He also appears to be more focused on the pass rush than staying focused on throwing downfield.

That statement is backed by the fact Wilson is the sixth-most sacked QB in the league (20). He's holding the ball too long in the pocket.

Even more concerning is the sight of him folding like a tent and bracing himself for several of those sacks.

Wilson has the look of a punch drunk fighter who's been in the ring one too many rounds.

He is having problems putting drives together and his offense is having significant problems in the red zone.

Denver ranks dead-last in the league in red zone efficiency (20.00%). The team ranking above them at No. 31 is ironically Wilson's old team in Seattle, checking in at 33.33%.

There have been a lot of dropped passes too, which is yet another sign Wilson has not been able to get onto the same page with his receivers.

Bottom line: Wilson looks like a bad fit in Denver.

Wilson's decline has not started this season. It's not something new. Wilson has steadily been declining for a while now.

If anything, this trade is on Denver and their front office more than it is on Wilson.

After that magical 2013 season in Seattle when the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, Wilson never got back to that point.

He has never come all that close.

Wilson led only three first-place finishes in his last eight remaining seasons in Seattle and never got past the divisional round of the playoffs. The last time the Seahawks even got that far was in 2019.

As the QB goes...so goes the team.

In 2021, before Denver traded for him, Seattle finished 7-10 and in last place in their division.

All things considered, it is not that surprising Denver has gotten off to a slow start.

What did Denver expect?

Through the first six games of the season, Wilson ranks as the No. 25 QB in the NFL with a QB Rating (QBR) of 35.8.

How does that QBR stack up with his past three seasons prior to 2022?

  • 2021: 60.6
  • 2020: 67.1
  • 2019: 71.5

Wilson steadily has been declining the past three seasons, prior to the big trade.

Now his QBR has fallen off a cliff.

The good news for the Jets is the Broncos are a similar opponent to the Packers, who they trounced 27-10 this past Sunday.

Denver also leans heavily on their run game (110.2 yards-per-game average) to disguise the fact the timing is off between their QB and receivers.

Denver is like Green Bay from the standpoint they shoot themselves in the foot often with misfires and dropped passes.

Look for New York to win this one and look for the trade that sent Wilson to Denver to go down as one of the worst trades in NFL history. 

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Daniel Kelly
DANIEL KELLY

Daniel spent four years in pro scouting with the New York Jets and brings vast experience scouting pro and college talent. Daniel has appeared in many major publications, including the New York Times and USA Today. Author of Whatever it Takes, the true story of a fan making it into the NFL, which was published in 2013. He has appeared on podcasts around the world breaking down and analyzing the NFL. Currently writes for SI All Lions. You can contact Daniel at whateverittakesbook@gmail.com

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