Broncos Set to Throw Down in One of NFL's Top Revenge Games of 2024

The Russell Wilson era in Denver started hopefully with dreams of playoff runs and Super Bowl titles. Those dreams quickly became nightmares after Wilson and his new tenure with the Denver Broncos began, fittingly, with a road loss vs. the Seattle Seahawks, which would be a preview of things to come.

Former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett let Wilson run the show, which proved his downfall. Denver fired Hackett 15 games into his first season.

In stepped Sean Payton to turn the Broncos around, a coach Wilson had long dreamed of working with. Unfortunately, the coach/quarterback combo wasn’t a match made in Mile High heaven.

Payton and Wilson's personalities clashed, and ultimately, the veteran quarterback was benched for the final two games of the 2023 season. The Broncos then released Wilson, taking on an $85 million cap hit in the process.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have since signed Wilson to a one-year deal worth $1.2M. Poetically, the Broncos are lined up to host Wilson and the Steelers in what NFL.com’s Adam Rank anticipates as one of the top revenge games of the year.

“There is no way the NFL could send Russell Wilson to face his former team to open the season on Monday Night Football again ... right? That would be the funniest thing ever, and I sort of hope it happens. For one, it would give Russ another chance right out of the gate to defeat his former team at their place, something he wasn’t able to do against the Seahawks two years ago. Also, the schedule-makers might want to consider doing this matchup early in the season, because Justin Fields could end up being the Steelers’ starter at some point in 2024,” Rank wrote.

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Rank suggests this game will be scheduled sooner than later in the 2024 regular season. If the game occurs later in the season, Wilson could be riding the bench because Fields may steal Pittsburgh's starting job. Fields plays a similar style to Wilson but is younger, taller, and more athletic, and the Steelers aren’t fully committed to Russ being the guy going forward, hence the one-year deal. 

The NFL loves its storylines, and Wilson taking on his former team will surely boost ratings, much as it did in Week 1 of 2022. The drama that occurred throughout Wilson's two-year stint in Denver left Broncos Country’s heads spinning.

NFL media relentlessly spit venom and criticisized Wilson, including his personal life, when it became apparent the 2022 season would become a major flop. However, the media lost it after Payton was seen ripping Wilson a new one on the sidelines the following season.

Media went from clowning and criticizing Wilson to coddling him like a baby. However, he'll have the chance to prove he can still be a great quarterback in this league.

Wilson can’t carry a team, but with the Steelers roster, he won’t have to. With the Broncos going into rebuild mode, it’s hard to see them pulling out the victory, but even if Wilson defeats his old team, it won’t be enough to prove he’s the man to lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl.

Fields is breathing down Russ' neck, and it’ll be up to him to rise to the occasion or else crumble and fade in the Steel City. 

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