This has not been the season anyone envisioned for Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos and that has led to reports that the veteran quarterback has lost some members of the locker room.
Not true according to head coach Nathaniel Hackett and several teammates.
The Broncos were expected to be a Super Bowl contender after the offseason acquisition of Wilson, but they are last in the AFC West at 3-8 and have been hit hard by injuries.
"To me, it's all gossip. I know this locker room - we have a fantastic locker room," Hackett said.
"When you look at a guy like Russ, he's unbelievable. I've never seen somebody work that hard. I've never seen somebody try to embrace a team like he has."
Wilson has just eight touchdown passes and five interceptions in 10 starts while completing 58.9 per cent of his passes, by far the worst mark of his career. He has also been sacked a career-high 56 times behind a patchwork offensive line.
Safety Justin Simmons reacted to a report on an NFL Network podcast that Wilson had lost part of the locker room.
"I'll say this: I'll say Russ is an amazing leader," Simmons said. "He's an amazing teammate and ... I know it's a quarterback-driven league, but leadership never falls under one guy."
Simmons said there is plenty of blame to go around for the Broncos' season, but he was stumped by the latest barb directed at Wilson.
"I don't know where that report would have come from and quite honestly... I would just like to keep the questions geared toward Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens," Simmons said.
Guard Dalton Risner also dismissed the report, when he said: "That's just hilarious in my opinion. That's funny. Because I don't think it's true. I know it's not true. I know that I know who Russell is. I respect him so much. I respect the way he integrates within our locker room.
"And I feel all year he hasn't been able to catch a break. I feel like all year people are just making up rumours about him, whether that be he's not a good teammate or he's lost the locker room, apparently, or whatever the heck it is. A lot of it is just so outlandish to me because I get to see him work every day."
Wilson was asked if he sensed any teammates had an issue with him.
"No. I think that first of all, everybody wants to win," he said. "I've got great relationships in that locker room. So, whoever is trying to tear it down, you can't.
"The best thing about it is it's been an amazing journey coming here, moving here, being here. … It's a blessing to be on this team and I’m honoured to be a part of this."
The Broncos' dismal season took another turn early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers when Wilson and defensive tackle Mike Purcell had a brief sideline blowup.
Purcell referred to the exchange as "just frustration" after the game, while Wilson said, "Mike and I are on the same page."
NFL: Chiefs stay perfect with OT win over Bucs
Kareem Hunt finished the game's lone overtime drive with a 2-yard touchdown run that kept the Kansas City Chiefs unbeaten with Monday's 30-24 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Hunt powered into the end zone to conclude the 10-play, 70-yard series that gave Kansas City (8-0) its 14th consecutive victory, including play-off games, dating back to last season. The veteran running back finished the night with a season-high 106 rushing yards on 27 carries.
Patrick Mahomes threw for 291 yards and three touchdowns, including two to DeAndre Hopkins in the wide receiver's first home game as a Chief, to help the defending Super Bowl champions stay perfect despite the Buccaneers forcing overtime on Baker Mayfield's 1-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Miller with 27 seconds left in regulation.
Tampa Bay (4-5) opted to kick the extra point instead of attempting a potential game-winning two-point conversion, however, and never got the ball back again after losing the coin toss to begin overtime.
The Bucs trailed 10-7 at half-time following Mahomes' 1-yard touchdown pass to Hopkins late in the second quarter, but scored 10 unanswered points in the third quarter to move ahead.
After Mayfield found Cade Otton for an 11-yard touchdown pass early in the period for a 14-10 lead, Tampa Bay's defence forced a three-and-out to help set up Chase McLaughlin's 47-yard field goal with 5:50 left in the third.
The Chiefs stormed back with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, however. Mahomes capped a 12-play, 70-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown delivery to Samaje Perine to tie the game at 17-17, then later hit Hopkins for a go-ahead 5-yard strike with 4:17 remaining in regulation.
Kansas City's next possession stalled, though, to give Mayfield enough time to orchestrate a 10-play, 71-yard sequence that ended in Miller's tying touchdown grab.
Mayfield finished 23 of 31 with 200 yards and two touchdowns. Otton led the Bucs with 77 receiving yards on eight catches, while Rachaad White had a rushing touchdown for Tampa in the first half.
The Chiefs received 14 catches for 100 yards from Travis Kelce and 86 yards on eight receptions from Hopkins, playing his second game since being acquired by Kansas CIty from the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 24.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott reportedly expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined following an MRI, and reported Monday from multiple media outlets.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
Cowboys quarterback Prescott expected to miss multiple weeks with hamstring injury
The path to the play-offs is now even tougher for the Dallas Cowboys.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will reportedly miss several weeks with a hamstring injury sustained in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
The severity of the injury was determined Monday following an MRI.
Prescott is planning to get a second opinion, and the Cowboys have not decided if they will place him on injured reserve, which would keep him on the sideline a minimum of four games.
Prescott, who signed a record-breaking, $240million contract hours before this season's opener, suffered the injury late in the third quarter.
He was replaced by Cooper Rush, and the seven-year backup will get the start this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Rush completed 13-of-25 passes for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons, but couldn't rally Dallas all the way back.
The Cowboys ended up losing their third straight game to drop to 3-5, which matches the total number of losses the team had each of the last three seasons.
They now sit in third place in the NFC East, 3 1/2 games behind the division-leading Washington Commanders.
Rush has found some success as a fill-in starter for the Cowboys, though, the 30-year-old hasn't been forced into the starting role since 2022.
In six career starts for Dallas, he's gone 5-1 with 1,281 passing yards with seven touchdowns, four interceptions and an 83.6 rating.
There is some good news for the Cowboys, though, as star defensive end Micah Parsons is likely to return this Sunday after missing the last four games with a high-ankle sprain.
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