Broncos benching Russell Wilson while still having an outside shot at the playoffs is shameful

The Denver Broncos likely squandered their best chance to make the playoffs when they allowed the New England Patriots to upset them on their own field Sunday.

With a win, the Broncos would have been in the thick of the AFC wild card race at 8-7 and just a game back of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West division. Instead, they’re 7-8 and running on fumes as the last team still alive in the conference.

That “still alive” part, though. That’s usually enough to keep teams going this late in the season. Tell every team at the start of the year they’ll still have a shot at the playoffs in Week 17, and most would be thrilled to hear that. Particularly a team that went 5-12 the year before like Denver. Instead, the Broncos are seemingly punting on that opportunity by benching the starting quarterback who got them here.

The Broncos announced Wednesday they’re benching Russell Wilson, and it’s football malpractice. They’re just a game back of the final wild card spot and still have an outside shot at the division too, with +2500 odds at BetMGM. The Chiefs would have to lose their final two games to squander the lead, but that doesn’t seem as unlikely as it once would have.

You don’t go through the pain and rigors of an entire football season to put yourself in position to make the final tournament just to say never mind at the end. But that’s what Sean Payton and the Broncos are doing.

Maybe Jarrett Stidham steps in and does enough to keep them afloat over the next two weeks with winnable division games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders — Payton will tell you the team is still trying to win. But make no mistake, this move wasn’t about Stidham giving Denver a better chance at doing that. It was financially motivated. The Broncos didn’t want to risk Wilson getting hurt and having to pay $37 million in injury guarantees. To them, that risk outweighed their long +600 odds of making the playoffs.

The thing is, that risk always existed. If it was such a concern, the Broncos should have benched Wilson earlier. A 1-5 start to the season seemed like a good time do it. You don’t do it now after the team fought so hard to get back into playoff contention.

Whatever rebuild the Broncos are about to embark on almost guarantees this season as being their last best shot at the playoffs for awhile. Finding someone to replicate what Wilson did this year won’t be easy. He wasn’t his old elite self, but he gave them above average play and currently ranks sixth in touchdown passes.

Denver owed it to Wilson, the rest of its roster and its fans to try to capitalize on the opportunity in front of them. Instead, the Broncos are quitting, and that’s a real shame.