Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett said he expects quarterback Russell Wilson to be ready to play Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He should be ready to play,” Hackett told reporters Tuesday.
Wilson spent part of last week on the injury report with a right-shoulder injury, leading Hackett to say the nine-time Pro Bowl selection was “dinged up.”
After an ugly 12-9 overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night, Wilson reportedly flew to Los Angeles to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection.
NFL Network has reported that Wilson is playing through a strained lat muscle in his throwing shoulder.
The Thursday-to-next-Monday gap between games in Denver’s schedule gives the Broncos (2-3) more than a week off to recover physically and mentally.
“We’ve been banged up a little bit, and the guys need this time to be able to re-energize themselves and get all their bodies back,” Hackett said. “So I think this mini-bye comes at the perfect time for us.”
Wilson, acquired from the Seattle Seahawks last spring in a blockbuster trade, has thrown for 1,254 yards and four touchdowns this season, with three interceptions. He’s completed 59.4 percent of his passes and put up a passer rating of 82.8. The lowest single-season passer rating of his career was a 92.6 in 2016.
Wilson has gone 13-for-28 passing in the red zone with one touchdown and one interception. In Thursday’s loss, he missed open receiver K.J. Hamler in the end zone during overtime and forced a pass elsewhere instead. The ensuing incompletion ended the game, with Hamler spiking his helmet against the ground in frustration.
Hackett was asked if the Broncos would try to develop an offensive scheme that would be better for Wilson.
“Most of the stuff that we’ve done as we collaborated and made this offense is stuff that he’s comfortable with, that we’re comfortable with,” Hackett said. “We’re always going to do what’s best for our guys, what’s best for Russell, and we’ll continually develop a plan for him on all the things that he does well.”
On Friday, Wilson tweeted a quote attributed to Winston Churchill: “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Hackett did not feel the quote reflected the state of the Broncos.
“I mean, that’s the first time I’ve heard that quote, but no,” Hackett said. “I think it’s a beautiful day; I’m here with everybody here. There is a lot of improvement to be done. Whenever you know that there’s improvement that can happen, you know that there’s going to be a lot of improvement.”
–Field Level Media
