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It was another game where it seemed Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson didn’t seem in sync with his offense, but head coach Nathaniel Hackett revealed another potential reason after the 19-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Wilson was dealing with a hamstring injury throughout the game, Hackett said via DenverFan.com.
The veteran signal caller didn’t have to come out of the game, though the Broncos were keen to try to run the ball against the Chargers’ defense. They handed the ball off 23 times, with Latavius Murray surprisingly getting most of the touches, going for 66 yards on 15 carries.
Melvin Gordon III was on the sideline most of the night, carrying the ball three times for just eight yards.
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Wilson went 15-for-28 through the air for 188 yards and one touchdown, and he was sacked four times for a total loss of 28 yards.
The Chargers’ defense was putting exceptional pressure on Wilson in the second half to the point where Drue Tranquill’s second sack of the night was a straight shot out of a cannon on Wilson. Khalil Mack and Derwin James Jr. also got to Wilson in the backfield.
Injury or not, it was another primetime performance for Wilson that was sub-par. Last week against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, he threw for 274 yards but didn’t have a touchdown pass, instead throwing two interceptions and owning a 54.9 quarterback rating – the worst mark of the season.
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With tonight’s numbers, Wilson has now thrown for less than a 54% completion rate in consecutive games as well.
And the loss certainly wasn’t on the fault of the Broncos’ defense, a unit that was all over Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert all night as well. They didn’t allow a touchdown pass to someone who converted one in 36-of-37 games prior.
The Broncos’ offense has been hurting this team that sits last in the AFC West, as they’ve broken 20 points just once in six games this year.
But Hackett placed the blame on himself.
“First and foremost, it starts with me… we’ve got to come up with better plays for the guys,” he said.
If this hamstring injury continues to hurt Wilson leading into their game against the New York Jets, Brett Rypien is the team’s backup as of now.
