Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has struggled this season and some fans and pundits have suggested that perhaps he is still battling through injuries that are hindering his performance.
Wilson played through a partially torn lat in October and he then suffered a partially torn hamstring that caused him to miss one game. Is the quarterback still battling those injuries?
“No,” coach Nathaniel Hackett said after Sunday’s 23-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers when asked if Wilson was playing injured.
If Wilson is playing through injuries, he hasn’t been getting treatment for them because he would show up on the team’s injury report in that scenario. Lying about treatment wouldn’t be worth the risk of repercussions, so it seems that Wilson is indeed healthy.
So if he’s not injured, what’s the problem?
“It’s a combination of a lot of different things,” Hackett said. “There is some semblance of newness with this whole group. We’ve had a lot of changes throughout the offense with different people that have been out there playing with him.
“We need to give him the confidence back to be able to make the plays that he can make. He’s out there and he’s fighting every single play. I give him so much credit. He’s taking a bunch of hits and it’s because he’s trying to do everything he can to make a play. I appreciate that and how he’s doing that. Everybody has to play better around him.”
Wilson has completed 58.9% of his passes for 2,369 yards with eight touchdowns against five interceptions through 10 games. He’s on track to have the worst statistical season of his career and if Wilson is healthy, his downward trend is a troubling sign for Denver.
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