Russell Wilson on Brink of Joining Broncos Royalty in Week 11

Russell Wilson is defying all of his haters, and yes, 'they' have been exposed as haters over the past 18 months, and is serving up crow with a heaping side of spicy Siracha. It's been glorious to see, and quite gratifying for Denver Broncos fans.

In last week's 24-22 win over the Buffalo Bills, Wilson played efficiently, making a few big plays and showcasing his find-a-way-make-a-way mentality when the chips were down. One of those big plays came on a 4th-&-2 in the red zone when Wilson scrambled backward, throwing a dime off his back foot that Courtland Sutton toe-tapped in the back left corner of the end zone for a crucial touchdown.

Next Gen Stats rated Wilson's touchdown pass to Sutton as the "most improbable" completion of the analytics site's existence. It was vintage Russ. He has protected the ball this year, and while the yardage stats haven't quite been there yet, he has an 18-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

There's no rest for the weary, however, as the red-hot 6-4 Minnesota Vikings are coming to Denver for a throwdown on Sunday Night Football. If Wilson's inspired brand of uber-efficient quarterbacking continues, he has the chance to join some Broncos royalty in Week 11.

Wilson needs two passing touchdowns and another game of zero interceptions to become the first Broncos quarterback since Peyton Manning (2014) to have three consecutive games with multiple scores through the air with no picks. Wilson has long looked up to Manning, who's now a Pro Football Hall-of-Famer (in more ways than one), despite besting 'The Sheriff' in Super Bowl XLVIII.

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If Wilson manages to pass for a pair of scores, even if he does get picked off by the Vikings, he'll become just the fifth Broncos signal-caller to notch 20 passing touchdowns in the first 10 games of a season. So, Wilson has a few milestones within reach on Sunday night.

It won't be easy. The Broncos' newfound ground dominance, which has helped insulate Wilson and put opponents on their heels, will be tested vs. Minnesota's No. 10-ranked rushing defense. It's a similar model that helped catapult Wilson to superstardom in Seattle all those years.

This is what Broncos Country envisioned when the team gave up a king's ransom to acquire Wilson via trade from the Seattle Seahawks in the spring of 2022. Nobody expected Wilson to suddenly start passing for 5,000 yards and 40 touchdowns per season in Denver, but that savvy, stubborn playmaker who refuses to lose? That was more in line with fans' expectations.

It turns out that what Wilson needed was a coach of Sean Payton's caliber to unlock his potential and suss out the perennial Pro Bowler he'd become over the decade he spent in the Emerald City. While there's still a lot of football to be played down the stretch, the early returns on the Payton/Wilson relationship has Broncos fans across the fruited plain and around the world excited for the future and what remains of a 2023 season that has suddenly become compelling and exciting.

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