ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Denver Broncos acquired Russell Wilson so they could finally have a fair fight against Patrick Mahomes II and the Kansas City Chiefs.
And there was a time when Wilson could give Mahomes all he wanted. In a December 2018 game, Wilson and Mahomes engaged in an iconic duel in Seattle.
Wilson completed 18 of 29 for 271 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.
Mahomes was 23 of 40 for 273 yards with 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions.
And the winner was? Wilson’s Seahawks, 38-31.
“I’ve got to know Patrick a little bit along the way,’’ Wilson said Wednesday at his weekly press conference. “We’ve done a couple things together. I love his demeanor. I love his energy. Obviously, he can make great, spectacular plays. He’s a great scrambler. He can really do some special things when he gets outside the pocket. He’s got great players around him, too, that make some great plays. (Travis) Kelce and other guys. Just love the competitor that he is.”
Four years later, no one is expecting a fair fight Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High. Certainly, the executives of Sunday Night Football don’t expect a good game. They dumped the game off primetime with the Broncos-Chiefs now kicking off 4 hours, 15 minutes earlier at 2:05 p.m.
The 3-9 Broncos are 9.5-point underdogs against the 9-3 Chiefs. The Chiefs have defeated the Broncos’ 13 games in a row, a streak that dates back to game 2 of the 2015 season. The Chiefs are the NFL’s No. 1 scoring team with 29.2 points per game. The Broncos are No. 32, dead last, with 13.8 points.
Mahomes leads the NFL with 30 touchdown passes and 3,808 passing yards. Wilson is 29th with 8 touchdown passes, 16th with 2,558 yards.
The Broncos gave up two first-round draft picks, two second-round picks, two starters, a young backup quarterback and $161 million in guaranteed money over four seasons no doubt thinking they were getting the 2018 version of Wilson in return. Whether its coaching, lack of talent around him, or Wilson himself, the Broncos have come nowhere close to keeping up Mahomes and the Chiefs this year.
Let’s see what happens Sunday.
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