Russell Wilson found a way.
On Monday night in Buffalo, the Broncos elected to go for it on fourth-and-2 at the Bills’ 7-yard line with 7:23 left in the second quarter. As Denver’s starting quarterback faked a handoff to Javonte Williams, he sensed Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson closing in. Wilson rolled left and reverse spun before backpedaling to the 22-yard line and launching the ball to the edge of the end zone, where wide receiver Courtland Sutton toe-tapped for an improbable touchdown.
In Denver’s 24-22 win at Highmark Stadium, Wilson threw for under 200 yards for the fifth straight game. But his ability to improvise under pressure was the difference-maker in the Broncos’ third consecutive victory.
Wilson’s touchdown pass to Sutton was the most improbable of the Next Gen Stats era, with a probability of success of just 3.2%. Even though the play was successful, head coach Sean Payton admitted Monday after watching the film that he would’ve rather kicked the field goal.
“(The Bills) played more of a two-deep shell to it. We were expecting a man look,” Payton said. “We wanted to be aggressive and felt like we had a play we liked. They defended it well, then Russell and Courtland made a fabulous play.”
Wilson was sacked four times and pressured on 43.2% of his drop-backs, but he did well maneuvering around the pocket to keep possessions alive.
Denver faced a third-and-4 with 6:42 left in the first when Buffalo sent a three-man blitz. Wilson stepped into the pocket and tossed the ball to Williams, who ran down the field for an 18-yard reception.
Just before Wilson was about to get sacked by Bills defensive end AJ Epenesa, he flipped the ball to running back Samaje Perine for a 9-yard gain on third-and-7 with 9:26 left in the fourth. Later in the quarter, Wilson did the same thing under similar circumstances. He stepped into the pocket and threw a shovel pass to Perine, who broke loose for an 18-yard gain with 1:39 remaining to get the Broncos near midfield.
Wilson only attempted two passes of 20-plus yards, instead opting to stick with the short game with 58% of his pass attempts 9 yards or less. The reason he looked like his vintage self was because he found a way to create plays when Buffalo’s defense made it hard to do so.
“(Wilson) sees coverage right away,” Payton said. “For him, a lot of times itap the cavities in the rush. Itap not just dropping back and throwing over the rush. This was a zone defense, so we felt like there were going to be a lot of underneath throws.”
Extra Points
• Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II held Bills star wide receiver Stefon Diggs to one reception for 11 yards on one target. This season, Surtain has allowed a combined 10 catches for 127 yards on 20 targets to Bears’ D.J. Moore, Jets’ Garrett Wilson, Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill and Raiders’ Davante Adams, according to Pro Football Focus.
Surtain has also played in 1,533 consecutive snaps, the longest active snap streak by a defender,
• Sutton has recorded a touchdown reception in four straight games and has seven on the season. He is projected to finish the year with 818 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. That total would tie former wideouts Eric Decker and Steve Watson for the second-most touchdown receptions in a single season in Broncos history.
• After Monday’s win, Wilson has the most game-winning drives (38) and fourth-quarter comebacks (30) among active quarterbacks since 2012. He is tied with Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett and the Jets’ Zach Wilson for the most fourth-quarter comebacks this season with three.
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