The Broncos’ Russell Wilson issue somehow becomes worse with a devastating loss to Rams

Late November saw Russell Wilson turn 34 years of age.

A quarterback shouldn’t be at his lowest point. The Broncos gave him a five year extension that was worth more than $240million.

The deal and trade might be among the worst in NFL history. The name Wilson will be forever cursed by Colorado because it set the franchise back for multiple years.

In a season where the Broncos have been struggling since Week 1, Sunday’s loss to Los Angeles Rams by 51-14 was a sad moment. Wilson threw two interceptions in each of the Broncos first two series. Both were on the quarterback. He threw one pass that was too long and the other, he passed it to Bobby Wagner, a Rams linebacker. Soon after the second interception, it was 17-0.

Watch the Broncos effort on Sunday to see how it feels when a team is completely done with the season. A defense that was good was ripped apart by the Rams’ junior varsity offense. Halftime saw the Rams score 31 points. This was the first time they had scored 31 points in an entire match this season. In Baker Mayfield’s first two games with them, the Rams scored 39. The offense couldn’t score, so Denver was dead in the first quarter. Before the offense scored their first touchdown, the Broncos were trailing 41-6.

Nathaniel Hackett, Denver’s rookie coach, has had one the worst seasons in NFL history. It would be a disgraceful experience for the Broncos fans if Hackett returns for a second year. Hackett’s firing might not resolve the Wilson problem.

Russell Wilson continues his struggle

Wilson’s poor start to the game made Patrick Star laugh.

CBS’ Tracy Wolfson reported in the third quarter that backup quarterback Brett Rypien got into a dispute with the offensive line. The offensive line then heated up with Rypien. As if Broncos were going to add “total dysfunction at the sideline” to their list.

Wilson is one of the worst NFL quarterbacks this season. Wilson has been the worst in terms of the amount of money and resources spent. Everybody in Denver was happy when the Broncos bought him. The post-Peyton Manning quarterback blues had ended. The Broncos would be a threat.

Maybe the extreme blues at quarterback — their 2016-21 starters were Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Drew Lock, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel, Brett Rypien Teddy Bridgewater — led to some desperate decisions. The Hackett trade, Wilson’s contract, and the Hackett hire look like an anchor that will keep the Broncos in the ground for a while.

It’s very bad in Denver. And no matter how many times Tony Romo, CBS’s TV host, tried to portray the Broncos as bright and promising, it’s not. Wilson will not be fixed unless a new coach is hired.

Broncos suffer embarrassing loss

The Broncos defense wasn’t covered in glory. They have been a good group for the majority of the season. They made Mayfield look like an international superstar on Sunday.

It’s hard to fault the Broncos defensive players. When the offense is not going to help at all, it’s hard to keep an edge.

Mayfield was a dealer. By halftime, he was 18-of-20 and had 185 yards and two touchdowns. Mayfield has been inconsistent throughout the season, with the exception of a few special minutes against Las Vegas Raiders in his Rams debut. The Broncos made Mayfield look fantastic. Mayfield beat Kurt Warner’s old record for Rams single-game completion percentage. Mayfield completed 24-of-28 passes for 230 yards. Wilson looked worse than Mayfield at any point in this season.

The Broncos didn’t seem to be coming back. Wilson made another terrible interception in the third quarter. He blindly flung a ball deep into the end zone, where there was no receiver open. Jalen Ramsey had an easy intercept. These interceptions are notable, but Wilson’s play was terrible. It is a repeat of his problems throughout the season. Wilson held onto the ball for too long and was penalized with six sacks. He failed to complete too many passes, which is unacceptable for a $240million quarterback. Rypien entered the game at 6:16, just after Wilson had led a touchdown drive. Rypien threw the pick-six his first possession.

Although there were signs that Wilson’s play was slipping, it was impossible to foresee a complete collapse. In NFL history, there have been very few quarterbacks who went from being elite to completely inept at Wilson’s age. Joe Namath’s disappointing season with Los Angeles Rams was at the age of 34. That’s a good comparison to Wilson’s situation today, which was 45 years earlier.

This isn’t a one-year issue. Even if Hackett and George Paton are fired, it doesn’t solve the Wilson problem. The person who would become coach or general manager would be entering a deep hole that won’t disappear soon.