Getty Russell Wilson scrambles for yards against the Washington Commanders
The Denver Broncos followed up a one-point loss in Week 1 with a second-straight home loss to the Washington Commanders in Week 2.
Things haven’t gone according to plan in head coach Sean Payton‘s first season in the Mile High City. With the loss, quarterback Russell Wilson fell to 4-13 as a starter with the Broncos.
After the game, Wilson spoke about what worked for the offense in the first half and where they lacked in the second half against Washington.
“We had a few explosive plays, we had some really good stuff. In the second half, we went three and out a couple times and they had a sack on I think on the first drive of the second half. They made some plays on defense. The reality is that we got to be better and we should have won that game.”
The Broncos were outscored 21-12 in the second half after holding a 21-14 advantage at halftime.
Wilson was then asked about the controversial no-call on Denver’s failed two-point conversion to tie the game.
“It seemed like (the defender) pulled on him a little bit. They didn’t end up calling it. You know, it’s a close play. Bang bang.”
Tale of Two Halves for Russell Wilson
The worst-scoring offense in the league from a year ago looks more competent under Payton. That isn’t to say that Wilson and company haven’t had growing pains to work with.
In a postgame press conference with reporters, Payton discussed how his offense needed to improve their communication on the field.
“There was a number of drives where we’re late with personnel, getting out of the huddle we took a while. That’s got to change. We burned timeouts in the first half, and I’m not used to doing. We’ve got to be better. I’ve got to be better, Russ has got to be sharper getting the play out,” Payton said.
While Wilson’s play has improved compared to last season, he has yet to put together a complete game.
In the first half, Wilson was 6-of-8 passing for 154 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. Denver jumped out to a 21-3 lead over Washington as the Broncos scored three touchdowns on their first three series for the first time since 2010.
The second half was a different story as Wilson only completed 50% of his passes, going 12-of-24 for 154 yards, an interception and a miracle touchdown pass to end the game.
Through the first two games of 2023, Wilson has thrown five touchdown passes to one interception while having a passer rating over 100.0 in both losses.
Wilson Praised Marvin Mims Jr. Following Breakout Game
In his NFL debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, Marvin Mims caught two passes for nine yards. Week 2 was a much different result for the rookie.
Against the Commanders, Mims caught two passes for 113 yards. His 60-yard touchdown put Denver up 14-3 near the end of the first quarter.
Russell Wilson 🚀 Marvin Mims
Mims also had a 53-yard catch to extend a drive early in the second quarter.
Russ and Marvin Mims connect again! @marvindmims
📺: #WASvsDEN on CBS
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Following the game, Wilson complimented Mims for his play on the field and how impactful it is having a rookie make big plays in the passing game.
“Any time he can touch the football [it] is a good thing for us. I think that was a positive to the game, especially seeing a rookie make those kinds of plays.”
Despite the explosive plays from Mims early in the game, he wasn’t targeted in the second half of the two-point loss to Washington.