“At some point, I'm going to say it's not real" - Mike Florio not buying Russell Wilson's injury excuses
Russell Wilson's rough start to life with the Denver Broncos continued in Week 6. His team succumbed to a 19-16 defeat against divisional rivals the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. Wilson completed his first ten pass attempts but managed only five completions in his subsequent 18 attempts. He finished the game with 188 passing yards and one touchdown pass.
The loss marked the sixth time in seven games that the Broncos have failed to score at least 20 points. In the aftermath of the defeat, Denver announced that the quarterback was struggling with a severe hamstring injury and was in real pain.
Russell Wilson tonight:
First quarter: 10/10, 116 YDS, 1 TD
Since then: 5/18, 72 YDS, 3 sack https://t.co/TqxSTUkEoU
Wilson was listed as day-to-day on the Broncos' injury report, casting doubt over his availability for the team's Week 8 clash against the New York Jets. But the quarterback bullishly claimed that he will recover in time to play the game against the Jets on Sunday.
Mike Florio doubts severity of Russell Wilson's injury
NFL insider Mike Florio didn't buy Russell Wilson or the Broncos' claims about the quarterback's injury. During Friday's episode of Pro Football Talk, Florio said:
"Hamstring injury is not something you just shake off. We've had two straight games now where he's played like s*** and on the back end, we hear about some injury. I'm sorry. At some point I'm going to say it's not real. Yeah, I'm not saying it yet. Yeah, but at some point I'm going to say it's not real."
Watch the entire episode below:
After the Broncos' 32-23 loss to the Raiders in Week 4, head coach Nathaniel Hackett revealed that Wilson was dealing with a shoulder injury. He took a platelet-rich plasma injection to get through the game. The timing of both revelations was certainly odd. Is Russell Wilson suffering from multiple painful injuries or are the Broncos trying their best to protect their quarterback from criticism?
Neither scenario changes the fact that they are 2-4 and could swiftly drift away from contention for a spot in the playoffs. Wilson has to rekindle the form that prompted the team to hand him a five-year, $245 million extension in the offseason.