Getty Russell Wilson had late game heroics for the second straight week against the Vikings.
The Denver Broncos won their fourth straight game with a 21-20 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football. Denver won their fifth game of the 2023 campaign, matching their win total from last season.
Quarterback Russell Wilson has undoubtedly done his part in helping the Broncos rebound from their putrid 1-5 start. Following the thrilling Week 11 win, Wilson told reporters about the belief the team has in each other.
“We all as players, this organization, we believe,” Wilson said in a postgame press conference on November 19. “I think that we have been believing relentlessly every day. So I think that last drive, the defense did a great job the whole game. The defense has been unbelievable past several weeks and we’re all playing as a team. We all believe together.”
Denver has given up 68 points during their four-game winning streak. Again, the Broncos gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. This is not the same team and quarterback who struggled mightily under former head coach Nathaniel Hackett.
Russell Wilson since the Broncos fired Nathaniel Hackett (12 total games)
2,570 yards
23 TDs
6 INTs
With Hackett (13 games)
3,019 yards
12 TDs
9 INTs
Wilson credited his “lights out” wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who has stepped up during the winning streak.
“His work ethic, his leadership, dedication to the game, dedication to getting better every day. He’s one of the best in the game and just tried to put it in only a place that he could get it and sure enough. I think my head was kind of turned, I just heard the crowd go crazy and knew he caught it,” Wilson said.
Sutton caught four passes for 66 yards, including the game-winning 15-yard touchdown with 1:03 left in the fourth quarter.
RUSS TO SUTTON FOR THE LEAD.
📺: #MINvsDEN on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus t.co/XjBVd5cU8l
Wilson expressed confidence, and his teammates knew, “we’re going to win this game that’s how we felt.”
Former Pro Bowl Quarterback Hypes Russell Wilson Following Win Over Vikings
It would appear Sutton is not the only one seeking an apology on behalf of Wilson.
ESPN analyst and former Pro Bowl quarterback Robert Griffin III took to social media to praise the Broncos’ star.
“Man, everyone who said Russell Wilson was washed has been REAL QUIET lately,” Griffin wrote on X, formerly Twitter on November 19. “Game-winning drive making those special off-schedule throws for TDs we are used to seeing him make. DON’T HIDE NOW. Make sure your apology is just as loud as your disrespect was.”
Man, everyone who said Russell Wilson was washed has been REAL QUIET lately. Game winning drive making those special off schedule throws for TDs we are used to seeing him make. DON’T HIDE NOW. Make sure your apology is just as loud as your disrespect was. @DangeRussWilson
Following Denver’s Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Griffin had also come to Wilson’s defense. The analyst previously shredded head coach Sean Payton for his mishandling of Wilson early in the season.
“The Denver Broncos aren’t playing to win football games. They are playing to win the BLAME GAME,” Griffin had posted to X on October 12. “That’s what happens when Sean Payton comes in throwing shade at his Super Bowl Winning QB Russell Wilson EVERY CHANCE HE GETS.”
It is a special sight watching Griffin and Wilson forever bonded by the quarterback fraternity.
Broncos Gifted With Another Winnable Game Against a Backup Quarterback in Week 12
The Broncos have brought their record to 5-5 on the season by holding off Vikings’ backup Josh Dobbs. Denver can surpass the .500 mark for the first time since Week 3 of the 2022 season by defeating another backup in Week 12.
The Cleveland Browns are 7-3 on the year after stifling a punchless Pittsburgh Steelers offense in a 13-10 win. Rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson from UCLA made his second career start against the Steelers.
He got the start after Deshaun Watson was lost to a season-ending shoulder injury. Thompson-Robinson completed all four passes on Cleveland’s final drive, which led to a game-winning 34-yard field goal as time expired.
Thompson-Robinson has thrown zero touchdowns to four interceptions on the season. Per James Palmer of the NFL Network, the rookie will face a defense that has forced 13 turnovers since Week 7.
Heavy Sports’ projections powered by Quarter4 have the Browns as a 1.5-point favorite over the Broncos. The projections give Denver a 46% chance to nab a second straight home win. Payton and the Broncos will be looking to extend their longest winning streak since the 2016 season to five games while playing host to Cleveland.