Broncos Roundtable: What will be considered a successful 2022 season for Russell Wilson?

The Denver Broncos finally have a franchise quarterback.

Their quarterback drought is over thanks to Russell Wilson donning Orange & Blue.

But what does Russ need to do in order for his first season in Denver to be considered a success?

The DNVR Broncos Crew breaks it down.

What’s a successful season for Russell Wilson?

Zac: Nearly 3:1 TD to INT ratio & a trip to the playoffs — For the most part, these are the baselines for top-notch quarterback play in the NFL. Russell Wilson is and absolutely should be held to the standard of a top-notch quarterback, even in his first year in Denver.

Great quarterbacks get their teams to the playoffs. No qualifiers.

Great quarterbacks, for the most part, have a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio, or at least are darn close.

The really good news is Russ has done both of these more times than not. Significantly more times than not, in fact.

Since the 2017 season, Wilson has had over a 3:1 touchdown to interception ratio every single year. In that time span, he has nearly a 4:1 ratio. Last year, Russ nearly had a 5:1 radio. That’s elite.

In terms of making the playoffs, Russ is as close to automatic as it comes. In his 10 years in Seattle, Wilson led the Seahawks to the playoffs an amazing eight times, including nine winning seasons. Although it’s his first season in Denver, the expectations truly should be playoffs or bust for the Russell Wilson-led Broncos.

Mase: Make the playoffs and post a passer rating of at least 100.0 — If both of these things happen, then that means the Broncos got the Wilson they expected when they made the deal. Eight of Wilson’s 10 seasons to date have ended in the playoffs, and seven of his last 10 seasons have seen a triple-digit passer rating, including the last four in a row.

The competitiveness of the AFC as a whole means that a playoff spot is far from guaranteed. At least nine teams in the conference — including the entire AFC West — enter the season with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. Another four teams likely view playoff qualification as their standard for success, with only the Jaguars, Texans and Jets effectively in building mode. And as was seen with Tom Brady in Tampa Bay in 2020 and Peyton Manning with the Broncos in 2012, the early weeks of the season might have some growing pains as Wilson adjusts to his new teammates — and they adjust to him.

It’s probably not fair to expect a 2020 Buccaneers-like run from the Broncos, given the depth in the AFC and the slim margin for error because the schedule is long on big games and short on free spaces. But anything short of playoff participation should be viewed as a disappointment.

RK: Win a playoff game — We can pretend that because of the draught, we will be satisfied with a Denver Broncos season that ends with a playoff appearance, even if the team loses in the first round, but I can assure you it won’t feel great.

If Russ and the Broncos can get through the first round of the playoffs, there is a very good chance they will be going head to head with the likes of Mahomes, Allen and Burrow in the next round, and if they bow out there in the first year of the Wilson Era, we’ll call the season a success and start thinking about what they need to beat those teams. But if they go out in the first round, we’ll be wondering how close the team really is to being a Super Bowl contender.

It’t just about getting to the dance, it’s about proving you belong there.