After nearly a decade of inconsistent offensive play, Sean Payton has quickly turned the Denver Broncos' offense back into a viable unit in the NFL. During his career as head coach of the New Orleans Saints, Payton's offense never ranked less than 12th in the NFL outside of one season. It's an objective truth that Payton knows how to run an offense.
Many people had questions about how Sean Payton and Russell Wilson would work as a duo. Payton's rugged coaching and personality doesn't seem to be a match for Wilson's "kissing babies" personality. However, the two are off to a great start together, and Diana Russini of The Athletic reported that the relationship between the two is great.
And on the field, the production is there. Denver has scored 100 points through four games, which ranks 10th in the NFL. Denver hasn't seen that type of production on offense since 2014, when Peyton Manning was still in the NFL. Russell Wilson is tied for second in the NFL in passing touchdowns with nine, and his 106.7 passer rating is third in the NFL among qualified passers.
Those who didn't think the Payton/Wilson duo would work seem to be wrong. The offense has looked very sharp, especially in the first half. Their second-half offense is a bit suspect, but they did have a nice second-half in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears. The big issue with the team is the defense, which ranks 32nd in the NFL.
The Broncos famously gave up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins in Week 3, but the offense is far from the issue. If the Broncos even had the 20th-ranked defense, this team is probably 3-1 or 2-2 at worst. It's really a shame, especially when you consider that the Broncos have had a strong defense for years.
Now, all of a sudden when the offense figures things out, the defense falters. We'll see if Broncos' DC Vance Joseph can turn this unit around, as the offense is plenty good enough to squeak into the playoffs. Russell Wilson is cooking once again and looks like his old self. We'll see if Wilson sticks around in Denver beyond this year. I think he does.