After opening presents on Christmas morning, Seahawks fans turned to their TVs on Sunday to see if they might get another gift courtesy of the Los Angeles Rams. With the Seahawks holding the Broncos’ 2023 first- and second-round draft picks, any Denver loss is a Seattle win.
Well, Denver more than obliged Seattle fans with a 51-14 loss that almost assures the Seahawks a top-five draft pick.
Former Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was apparently in the giving mood as well, throwing three interceptions against the Rams, including one to former Seattle teammate Bobby Wagner.
Adding insult to injury, “SpongeBob SquarePants” character Patrick Star poked fun at Wilson while commentating on the Nickelodeon broadcast of the game.
The 4-11 Broncos on Monday fired first-year coach Nathaniel Hackett. With games left against the Chiefs and Chargers, the Broncos’ season isn’t likely to improve. And with the coach gone, all eyes turn to Wilson, who is in the midst of an unthinkable fall from the elite ranks of NFL quarterbacks.
Sunday’s game was just the latest in a display of unrecognizable poor play from the nine-time Pro Bowl QB.
Here’s what people are saying about Wilson’s play, and what it means for the Seahawks.
NBC Sports’ Peter King writes that Sunday’s blowout loss was the “most damning indictment of the Hackett/Wilson regime.”
“Found myself thinking of this after Russell Wilson’s second pick put the Broncos in a 17-0 hole at SoFi Sunday: If the Broncos cut him after the season, they’d incur a $107-million cap charge. I jest, I jest. I think. By the way, the Broncos being down to this cut-to-the-quick version of the Rams 31-6 at the half might be the biggest and most damning indictment of the Hackett/Wilson regime, and that is saying something.“
The Ringer’s Roger Sherman includes Wilson in his losers of the week list.
“Wilson’s first year in Denver has been an abject disaster. His acquisition was supposed to make the Broncos a Super Bowl contender; instead they’re 4-11 and last in the NFL in scoring. For most of the season, the defense had held up, but on Sunday, Wilson threw two interceptions before he completed a pass, setting the Rams up for quick, easy scores. The Rams went up 17-0 within 10 minutes and hit their season high (31 points) in the first half.“
Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla says Sunday’s Broncos loss was the worst of the season.
“Among 11 wretched losses of this season, this dismantling by the Rams was perhaps the most painful of them all, with Russell Wilson throwing three interceptions and offensive lineman Dalton Risner bickering with backup quarterback Brett Rypien on the sideline.“
ESPN commentator Dan Orlovsky says the Broncos should bench Russell Wilson.
“He needs to be done this year. Mentally. Yesterday was such a disaster … They’ve got to give him a mental reset and move on from this season. This season has been an abject disaster. This guy has gone from Hall of Famer to you have to be on the bench.”
Yahoo! Sports NFL reporter Frank Schwab writes that Denver’s trade for Wilson might end up being one of the worst in NFL history.
“Russell Wilson turned 34 years old in late November. It’s not an age in which a quarterback should be completely falling off. That’s why the Broncos traded multiple draft picks and players for Wilson and gave him a five-year extension worth more than $240 million.
The trade and the contract might end up ranking among the worst in NFL history. It’s looking like Wilson’s name will be forever cursed in Colorado for setting the franchise back multiple years.”
FS1 commentator Nick Wright says the firing of Hackett will be the first of what will be many casualties after the worst trade in NFL history.
FS1’s Shannon Sharpe also ripped Wilson for his performance against the Rams.
“They say, ‘Let Russ Cook.’ They let Russ cook on Christmas, and he burned the daggone meal, and everyone went hungry.”
If the season ended today, the Seahawks would own the No. 3 and No. 12 picks in the first round of the 2023 draft. As NFL reporter Albert Breer points out, that pick could land them Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, after netting them rookie offensive tackle Charles Cross in the first round this year.