Another week of the NFL season has gone by, meaning the Denver Broncos have suffered another crushing loss. Some are even calling it a habit.
By some, we’re talking about Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson.
With a 10-9 loss to the shorthanded Baltimore Ravens, the Broncos fell to 3-9 on the season. With five games left, Denver is four games out of a playoff spot in the AFC and has essentially sealed their playoff fate. Having lost four-consecutive games, Wilson was asked if he believed the Broncos had allowed losing to become a habit. He did not disagree.
“Definitely winning is a habit, and losing can become one too if you let it,” Wilson said postgame, per team-provided video. “I talked to the guys in the locker room, and was just telling them, ‘At the end of the day, there’s two things we can control: our attitude and our energy. And if we can control those two things in the midst of the storm, we can turn those things around.’ “
Trying to turn things around after starting 3-9 would be tough for any team, but looks damn near impossible for this iteration of the Broncos.
Week after week, Denver has been dragged into stories relating to just about everything that could negatively impact a football team. Whether it be Wilson getting booed by Seattle Seahawks fans in Week 1, becoming the subject of Twitter jokes due to comments about an overseas flight, getting reamed out by his own teammate in front of a national audience, being called a “poser” by a member of the media or taking shots from former teammates, there’s been no shortage of hate for the nine-time Pro Bowler this season. All of those examples came from real animosity toward the one-time MVP candidate, or reports that have painted him in a poor light.
This all came after the Broncos essentially set up the future of their franchise around Wilson, signing him to $245 million extension after trading for him during the offseason.
The only way to make a contract of that magnitude worth it, is by winning immediately. Denver inked Wilson to a five-year deal, meaning the expectation was he would come in and help steer the ship in the right direction. Instead, things have gotten significantly worse for a team that is one loss away from tying their mark from last season. Alongside head coach Nathaniel Hackett, Wilson’s future in Denver is already up in the air after less than one season.
