Buy Broncos TicketsMike Purcell had some words for Russell Wilson has he returned to the Broncos sideline pic.twitter.com/FL6RaFwAT8
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 27, 2022
Frustrations are boiling over in Denver.
The Broncos have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but their offense is the worst in the league, scoring just 14.27 points per game this year. That’s the worst points-per-game average in the NFL since the 2000 season.
Denver quarterback Russell Wilson is not exclusively to blame. The Broncos’ offensive line is struggling, three of their top four receivers are injured, coach Nathaniel Hackett’s offensive scheme is a disaster, and Wilson is playing through a partially torn lat in his right throwing shoulder and a partially torn hamstring.
There are no excuses in the NFL, though, and while it doesn’t all fall on Wilson, he hasn’t been the solution.
In the second quarter of Sunday’s game, Denver defensive lineman Mike Purcell was spotted by cameras yelling at Wilson on the sideline before the offense was about to take the field. The footage quickly went viral on social media with millions of views within a few hours.
Former Broncos offensive lineman Orlando Franklin tweeted after the incident that he believes the locker room is “100% divided.”
Wilson was asked about it after a 23-10 loss.
“He was pissed off and said, ‘We’ve got to effing go,’ you know?” Wilson said during his post-game presser. “I agree. Me and him are on the same page. There’s no animosity there at all. We’re on the same page. We’ve got to win.”
When asked about the outburst, Purcell said he was frustrated and wanted the offense to give the team a spark.
“Frustration,” Purcell said flatly when asked about when he went over to talk to Wilson. “We want a spark on something, and we’re all in this together, period. That’s the quarterback of our offense, they were about to take the field … gotta get a spark somewhere. They were about to take the field so that’s all it was.”
Wilson finished the game 19-of-35 passing for 142 yards with one touchdown pass. Purcell totaled two tackles. Following the loss in Charlotte, Denver dropped to 3-8 on the season.
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