Russell Wilson takes over as NFL’s active leader in 4th-quarter comebacks after wild finish in Buffalo – Marca English
The Denver Broncos pulled off the upset on Monday Night Football to cap week 10 of the 2023 NFL season. Quarterback Russell Wilson led a late, game-winning drive in the fourth quarter — which ended with kicker Wil Lutz sinking a 36-yard field goal as time expired on an error-laden contest.
The 24-22 comeback victory for the visiting Broncos counts as the 30th game-winning fourth-quarter comeback of Wilson‘s12-year career. According to Pro Football Reference, that is the most of any NFL quarterback since 2012 — when Wilson debuted with the Seattle Seahawks.
Russ sticks to the plan
Broncos head coach Sean Payton on Monday night laid out a conservative, risk-averse plan for Wilson and the Denver offense. Although he couldn’t have predicted that the Broncos’ wildly-improved defense would force four turnovers in Buffalo, Payton certainly will be pleased that Wilson held onto the football — unlike Bills counterpart Josh Allen, who threw two interceptions and fumbled on an errant handoff to running back James Cook.
Wilson rarely threw the ball downfield and instead chose safe passes to running back Javonte Williams (110 total yards on the night), receiver Jerry Jeudy (three catches for 35 yards), or receiver Courtland Sutton — who led all players with eight receptions and caught one of Wilson’s two touchdown passes.
Wilson also was unafraid to head upfield himself rather than force a bad throw. He was credited with nine carries totaling 31 yards — and Denver, despite ringing up only 300 total yards and 10 penalties, held onto the ball for 37 minutes and won the turnover battle 4-1.
Can Denver find its way into the playoffs?
The Broncos lost their first three games in 2023, including an historic 70-20 defeat to the Miami Dolphins. But since falling to 1-5 in mid-October, Payton has masterminded a three-game winning streak — and chaos is reigning in the AFC‘s playoff picture.
Denver is only one game behind the Houston Texans for the conference’s seventh and final playoff spot in what has become a muddled chase for the postseason. Five teams are on five wins. The Cincinnati Bengals, not currently in a playoff position, are only two games behind the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North lead and a share of the conference’s best record.
The silver lining for the Broncos is that they do not have to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs again during the regular season. But in a decisive December, Wilson and company will face:
- the Texans in Houston
- the Chargers in Los Angeles
- the Chargers in Denver
- the Raiders in Las Vegas in Week 18
It seems like anything could be possible in the AFC — and amazingly, that could play to Denver’s advantage.
