Getty Former Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is off to a slow start with his new team.
Despite leading his new team to a 2-1 start, it looks like Russell Wilson isn’t escaping the criticism from his slow start to the 2022 season.
The former Seattle Seahawks quarterback recently led the Denver Broncos to a 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers, one of his familiar division rivals over the years. While the Broncos are technically atop the AFC West, they’ve done it with one of the ugliest offenses in the league, as they’ve averaged 14.3 points per game, the second-worst mark in the league.
Former New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning couldn’t help but take a jab at his former NFC rival. During the “ManningCast” on Monday Night Football, Manning made reference to Wilson’s new $245 million contract, joking that maybe the team should have opted to give the punter that money instead.
“They should’ve paid that punter $235 million instead of Russell [Wilson].”
Eli Manning 💀💀💀💀
Broncos Are Punting More Than Scoring
Denver’s offense has been so stagnant that their punter has been one of the most active players at his position. Broncos punter Corliss Williamson is coming off of a 10-punt performance that saw him average 47.6 yards per punt versus the Niners. Six of his punts were downed inside the 20-yard-line, which means Williamson was arguably the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Williamson has punted the ball 16 times with eight of his punts downed inside the 20-yard-line. Williamson ranks second in the league in punts and third in punts downed inside the 20-yard-line.
Meanwhile, Wilson has gotten off to the roughest start of his career. The 33-year-old quarterback has completed just 59.4 percent of his passes for two touchdowns, one interception and an 83.2 quarterback rating. Wilson’s QBR rating (45.2) currently ranks 21st, which is way behind current Seahawks starter Geno Smith in QBR rating (62.2).
To top it all off, the Seahawks actually defeated the Broncos during the season opener in Wilson’s much-anticipated return to Seattle. It was during that game that Denver squandered away two goal-line drives by fumbling the football.
Despite the evidence pointing towards the Broncos’ sluggish offense, Wilson expressed optimism following the team’s victory over the Niners.
“We’re still learning each other as a whole new system,” Wilson said. “There’s so much greatness in store, and I can’t wait for it.
The Broncos may very well end up getting their offense going before the end of the season, but it’s clear that life after the Seahawks isn’t going well in the immediate aftermath for Wilson.
Smith Exceeding Expectations as Seahawks QB
Although the Seahawks are 1-2 and currently on a two-game losing streak, Smith has surprisingly emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the league.
The 31-year-old veteran quarterback — who is in his first season as a starter since 2014 — is currently leading the league with a 77.4 percent completion rate. Smith has just so happened to throw for more yards and completions than the two MVP candidates from last season, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady.
Via Gregg Bell of The News Tribune:
“As we all put it all together, if you like the Seahawks, how can you not be fired up of what Geno has done?” head coach Pete Carroll said. “I think this a good time for us on offense, I think this is the time for us to really go.”
The offense obviously has a lot of room for improvement. Despite Smith’s impressive individual statistics, Seattle’s offense isn’t scoring the ball. The Seahawks are averaging 15.7 points per game, ranking 28th in the league.
With an upcoming matchup versus the Detroit Lions — allowing 31.0 points per game, worst in the league — the Seahawks will have an opportunity to get their offensive woes rectified.