Sean Payton Puts Russell Wilson & Vance Joseph on Blast
To quote Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos' 35-33 loss to the Washington Commanders was a "tale of two games." In Game 1, aka the first half, the Broncos fielded an explosive offense and a smothering defense that was consistently pressuring the quarterback.
In Game 2, aka the second half, it all inverted. The offense couldn't get a first down to save it's life, until it was too late, and the defense may as well have just laid down and let the Commanders run all over them because it wouldn't have changed the outcome.
Broncos fans went from feeling elated and relieved to see the offense producing explosive plays and actually scoring touchdowns in the first half to that same old sickening 'here we go again' feeling that has predominated this fan base's mental constitution for the past seven years.
After the game, Payton took responsibility for his team collapsing after getting out to a 21-3 lead, while also putting his quarterback, Russell Wilson, on blast for the offense's communication issues.
“There were a number of drives where we were late with personnel, getting out of the huddle, we took a while," Payton said post-game. "That has to change. We had to burn timeouts in the first half, and I’m not used to doing [that]. We have to be better. I have to be better. ‘Russ' has to be sharper with getting the play out, and then we have to look at how much we have in. If we need to wristband it, we will.”
Payton, for whatever warts are emerging in the early days of his regime, at least has no problem holding his players accountable, both privately and publicly. Wilson might need to hear it. And he might need to know that everyone else heard Payton's criticism, too.
It was Wilson's second-quarter lost fumble that opened the floodgates on the Commanders' ensuing barrage of sustained drives and scores. Payton and his coaches knew full well that winning the turnover battle, and hopefully avoiding a single fumble or interception, would be the key to beating Washington.
Payton doesn't want to hear about the players being "deflated" after Wilson's fumble, although they obviously were. The bottom line, it seems, to him, is that momentum swings are a part of football and if the Broncos want to reestablish themselves as a winning team, the players have to learn how to roll with those punches, stay poised, and execute.
“Listen, you have to ask them, relative to—I don’t think anyone’s getting 'deflated,'" Payton said. "It’s just a matter of the game of football. Ball security—punting the ball against this opponent wasn’t a bad thing. All of a sudden, they have the ball midfield and that leads to points. It was one of the big things we talked about that we have to be better with.”
The Broncos stayed on schedule offensively in the first half, executing Payton's opening-game script masterfully. But, again, it was that fumble that flipped the script, and Wilson's second-half interception would also lead to Washington points.
"The number one key in this game with this team, and we looked at it—every one of their losses—every one of their games last year where they didn’t have a takeaway, they lost the game," Payton said. "We give them the ball at midfield, and that momentum shifts at that point with the fumble."
Lest you think that Payton's disappointment was limited to the offensive side of the ball, he had some choice words for his defense and coordinator Vance Joseph.
"I didn’t think we played well defensively," Payton said. "[In the] second half, I think they were 100 percent—every time they entered the red zone, they scored a touchdown. Offensively, we were slow with our communication. That was frustrating. That has to start with us, with me. We never got the momentum back. It was disappointing.”
Wilson finished with 308 yards passing and three touchdowns, with the interception and lost fumble. He also rushed for a team-high 56 yards, becoming the first QB in NFL history to rush for 5,000 yards and pass for 40,000.
It wasn't enough. Mainly due to Wilson's pair of giveaways and the communication issues that threw a wet blanket on the Broncos' efforts to strike back at Washington's iron-clad momentum swing.
It seemed near-unthinkable before the season started, but all those preseason theories about Jarrett Stidham supplanting Wilson in the starting lineup are starting to seem a bit more plausible.
It's back to the drawing board for Payton, but there's no rest for the weary, as the 0-2 Broncos have to find some answers before hitting the road for the first time this season to take on the red-hot Miami Dolphins.
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