Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson had the worst season of his career in 2022 and the Broncos ended the year with a 5-12 record.
Wilson was heavily criticized for his performance last year, but the quarterback remained relentlessly positive through it all, constantly stating that a turnaround was coming in Denver.
The Broncos then brought in coach Sean Payton this offseason, a move that instantly helped Wilson’s on-field performance, but it did not bring instant team success.
Denver started the year with a 1-5 record, but Wilson again remained relentlessly positive. The quarterback’s never-quit mentality set an example for teammates to follow and the Broncos promptly won five straight games to improve to 6-5.
Over the last year and a half, Wilson has been remarkably resilient, but he has deflected praise to everyone but himself during the team’s current winning streak.
“First of all, we’re resilient.” Wilson said after Sunday’s win over the Browns. “The best part about us is [that] we’ve been resilient for all of these games. We’ve played some really great teams. Top-echelon teams. Obviously in the AFC, Kansas City, obviously, Buffalo on the road which is a tough environment. Cleveland has been great all year. It’s a great defense and everything else. I think the best thing about us though is it’s about us. It’s about us being together.
“Our defense has been lights-out. One of the best defenses in the world. Those guys have been unbelievable. Vance Joseph has done a great job with those guys — getting those guys ready every week and drew some tough challenges. I think that anytime about this game — about professional sports, there’s always adversity and how you handle the adversity really shows who you are and who you can be as a team [and] as a player. We’ve handled the adversity.”
Denver’s impressive turnaround has put the team right back in the playoff mix, but with six games remaining, the Broncos can’t afford to ease up now.
“The reality is that we have a lot more ball to go,” Wilson said. “We have to stay humble and hungry. We have a lot more to do. We feel like we’re just getting started. We just have to stay the course — understand that we have to remain neutral and focus on one game at a time. One week at a time. One practice at a time.”
Wilson has completed 68.3% of his passes this season for 2,199 yards with 20 touchdowns against four interceptions. He has also rushed 53 times for 266 yards and a score. Wilson never gave up during Denver’s struggles, and he’s now leading the team’s turnaround.
