ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — As the Broncos brace for a division battle, Russell Wilson knows he must help kick-start Denver's offense.
"I think that first of all, I've got to play better," Wilson said. "It starts with me. I've got to find ways to make some more plays out there for us, more touchdowns."
The Broncos have averaged just 14.6 points per game through their first nine games, and they're searching for a way to find more success to better complement the league's top-ranked scoring defense.
"At the end of the day, this game is about touchdowns and offensive football," Wilson said. "If we can find those, generate those, I really believe with our defense and how they've been playing all year [the Broncos can earn wins]. We've got the best defense in the world, so it's our obligation as an offense to make sure we step up and come to the plate and do what we need to do to help our football team. It's a collective effort. If we do that, we give ourselves a great, great chance to win. The defense is already giving us a great chance to win every game. Now we've got to answer the bell and not overcomplicate it, not press, but also know that we have to have a sense of urgency, every play, every practice, every moment, whether it's in the meeting, whether it's in the walkthrough. Every opportunity we get is an opportunity to learn and grow. You've got to respond that way."
Wilson said the Broncos want to be able to find success in a variety of ways, and they'll need to overcome obstacles to do so.
"We want to be able to do it all," Wilson said. "We want to be able to take our shots down the field, we want to be able to get the ball out quick, we want to be able to run the ball well, we want to be able to get our explosive runs, our explosive passes. We want to be able to do it all. I think that we've been fighting for that this season so far. The past is not necessarily predictive of the future. It's just depending on what your habits are and how we can continue to find those. How we can get better — we're all learning. This game is a game of injuries, a game of people coming and going, and you've got to still find ways. We can't make any excuses. We've got to be able to overcome the obstacles."
The Broncos, though, would likely benefit from finding an identity on which they can depend. Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett said through 10 weeks, the Broncos have not met the needed standard.
"It's not a good one," Hackett said of the offense's identity. "It hasn't been a very successful offense and we have a lot of things that we want to get better at. We want to be sure that we continue those opportunities for the guys and continually get better options for the guys. For us, right now, a lot of improvement [is needed to] be able to gain that identity."
Wilson is undoubtedly a big part of the Broncos' ideal identity, and Hackett said he hoped to see Wilson continue to "own the system" as the year progresses.
"We want to build this thing around him," Hackett said. "We want him to feel that, and we want to put him in positions where he can make plays and where he's comfortable making plays. Just not thinking and going out there, having fun and playing ball."
Wilson, though, said the Broncos must find a way to execute no matter what play call is sent in.
"I'm comfortable with a lot of things," Wilson said. "I've played a lot of ball. I've done a lot of things, whether it's downfield throws, cross[ers], quick throws, running the ball, whatever it is. All the things you can do in a football game, I think we're capable of doing. We've just got to do it a little cleaner, a little bit better, a little bit more execution across the board. That's our focus. It's not necessarily about what you call, how you call it at all times. It's also making sure we're all executing and getting us in the best positions as players, making sure we're making our plays."
Wilson, who said he doesn't care how the Broncos are able to score more points, believes in his ability to help the team improve in the coming weeks.
"We need two more touchdowns a game," Wilson said. "I know how to do that. We'll find that. We'll figure that out."
