Russell Wilson booed Seattle in return as the Denver Broncos lost to the Seahawks




CNN

He might have given the Seattle Seahawks their first Super Bowl title, but when he returned to the Pacific Northwest with his new team on Monday, Russell Wilson was certainly not welcomed as a hero.

Wilson — now the quarterback for the Denver Broncos after being traded from the Seahawks after a successful 10-year stint — was booed by the majority in Lumen Field as he stepped onto the gridiron in his new colors for the first time.

And the night didn’t get any better for Wilson as he and the Broncos were ousted 17-16 by the Seahawks.

However, Wilson said he expected the hostile reception upon his return to the city he had called home for a decade.

“It didn’t bother me, you know, it’s a hostile environment, it always has been. I didn’t expect them to applaud every now and then,” Wilson said with a smile after the game.

The 33-year-old added: “Seattle has been great for me. Like I said before, anyone who thinks other words doesn’t know my heart and how much this city meant to me. Tonight was special, it was on the other side than what I’m used to, but it was still a special environment and a place I’ve always loved.”

It was always a memorable return to Seattle for Wilson.

The Seahawks drafted the 2012 quarterback with a third-round pick. During his time in the Pacific Northwest, he led the franchise through eight postseasons, including two Super Bowl appearances and a championship win in 2014.

However, after relations between Wilson and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll faltered in recent years, he was traded to the Broncos in the offseason for a huge haul that sent shockwaves through the sport.

When he arrived in Denver, he signed a five-year extension with the team that was reportedly worth $245 million, and his debut happened to be at his former Seattle location.

However, it was his replacement on the Seattle sidelines that stole the show.

Geno Smith, who had been the backup behind Wilson, looked steady on his first start since the end of the Wilson era, finishing with 195 yards on 23/28. Pass with two touchdowns.

Wilson threw for 340 yards on 29/42 passing and a touchdown, but the game ended with the ball slipping out of his hands despite the resources invested in his signing.

After a sloppy second half by both teams, including two fumbles from the one-yard line on back-to-back possessions to start the second half for Denver, Wilson propelled his team onto the field in the final two minutes.

With 20 seconds left, in spots four and five at Seattle’s 46-yard line, first-year Denver coach Nathaniel Hackett had to make a decision: Let his new big-money quarterback try to concede the required yardage score, or try a very long field goal?

In the end, Hackett opted for the safer option of a 64-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds to carve out a win from the jaws of defeat.

Brandon McManus’ try, however, flew wide to the left, meaning Wilson’s return to Seattle ended in disappointment.

Wilson leaves the field after losing to the Seahawks.

But after the game, Wilson stressed he supported Hackett’s decision to bet on the field goal rather than let him try to keep the offense moving.

“I believe in Coach Hackett,” Wilson said. “I believe in what we’re doing. Believe in everything and you can always try to find a way to make a game on the fourth and fifth side, that’s great too. I don’t think it was the wrong decision either. I find [McManus] can do it.”

The loss means the Broncos are already behind the backball in a fiercely competitive AFC West as the Geno Smith era begins in Seattle with aplomb.



মন্তব্য করুন

আপনার ই-মেইল এ্যাড্রেস প্রকাশিত হবে না। * চিহ্নিত বিষয়গুলো আবশ্যক।