Russell Wilson: 'Physically, I'm Good' After 18-Hit Loss to Titans
Having already sustained two injuries this season — to a shoulder and hamstring, respectively — it's a minor miracle that Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson emerged from Sunday's battering at the hands of the Titans without further ailment.
Yet, he did. To his body, anyway.
"It was definitely a physical game," Wilson conceded after the 17-10 loss in Tennessee. "When your starting right tackle goes down and you have guys step in, (right guard) Quinn (Meinerz) I thought battled. (Center) Luke (Wattenberg) tried to battle, too. It was physical for sure. There were a lot of times we got hit there, but in reality it is a physical game and you knew they were going to be physical. The Titans are a good football team, and you know it was going to be a battle. I believe in all these guys. I was telling the guys on the last drive before we went out there, all the O-linemen, all the tight ends and receivers and everybody, we can do this. We are going to do this, and we almost did. We tried to make a play on fourth down and it didn’t work. Physically, I am good."
A porous Broncos offensive line that entered Week 10 ranked 25th in sacks allowed (24) added six more to the total against a ferocious Titans front missing its best player (defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons). Wilson stood no chance, absorbing a whopping 18 hits — the majority of which occurred after center Graham Glasgow (shoulder) and right tackle Billy Turner (knee) were lost to injury.
By the end of the game, Wilson's protection detail was comprised of LG Dalton Risner, RG Quinn Meinerz, backup LT Calvin Anderson, fifth-round rookie C Luke Wattenberg, and former undrafted free agent RT Quinn Bailey.
"It’s a combination of a lot of things," Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said of the barrage on Wilson. "We tried, we wanted to mix it up. We wanted to try to master attack. We wanted a quick game. We wanted to do as much as we could to try to keep the defense off and protect those guys, and at the same time be able to protect Russ. And it just wasn't coming together. It's unfortunate because it's another close game. Another one-score game. We feel like the defense stepped up to the challenge with Derrick Henry. I give our defense so much credit. I mean, the offense has to find a way where we're one scores each time."
Punctuating Denver's sixth loss, Wilson completed 21-of-42 passes for 286 yards, one touchdown, and one interception, finishing with his second-lowest QBR (22.4) of 2022. He added a season-high seven rushes for eight yards, his scrambling more necessity than luxury as the pocket continually crumbles.
This wasn't what the Broncos intended when they acquired Wilson and paid him $245 million. But this is where the collective now finds itself.
"As dark as it has been, as tough as it has been, I know there is light on the other side of the tunnel, so the reality for us is we’ve got games left," Wilson said. "We got something to play for. We got to play for each other, we have got to play for this team as a whole. We got to play for Bronco Country and play for just the pride."
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