Russell Wilson Says 'No Excuse' for Broncos' Losses: 'We've Got to Find a Way'

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson downplayed the impact of injuries on a 19-16 overtime loss to the AFC West rival Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night, which dropped the team's record to 2-4.

Wilson suffered a shoulder injury during the Broncos' Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders and picked up a hamstring injury amid the fourth quarter on Monday.

"Shoulder did good, but listen, the only thing that matters is us winning," Wilson told reporters. "Not going to sugarcoat it, the only thing matters is us winning ... there's no excuse for it, we've got to find a way."

The arrival of the nine-time Pro Bowler in a March trade with the Seattle Seahawks significantly raised expectations in Denver. At minimum, the franchise was expected to seriously compete for its first playoff berth since 2015.

While that's still possible, the early returns have been mostly underwhelming, both from Wilson and the team as a whole.

The 33-year-old quarterback has completed 58.6 percent of his throws for 1,442 yards with just five touchdowns and three interceptions in six games. He's added one rushing score. He ranks 25th in ESPN's Total QBR (35.8).

Denver also ranks 19th in rushing yards per game (110.2) and, while the defense has given up the third fewest yards in the league (290.3 per game), the unit has forced a modest seven turnovers.

"We could have done it cleaner in the second half," Wilson said. "The reality is it's just not good enough. We've got to be better, we've got to play sharper, we've got to find ways to make plays, we've got to find ways to get touchdowns. Felt like we should have won that game."

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett agreed with Wilson's assessment as the team dropped its third straight contest.

"This is very disappointing," Hackett said. "We need to have a lot more urgency across the board—it starts with me as a coach, then all of the other coaches, then to the players. Players need to be just more urgent. ... We've got to execute at a higher level, and we've got to come up with some better plays."

Denver has a pair of winnable games ahead of its Week 9 bye. It faces the upstart New York Jets (4-2) at home Sunday before traveling to London's Wembley Stadium for a clash with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-4) in Week 8.

Getting back to 4-4 before the off week would be a major step in the right direction, especially with a tricky schedule on the horizon in the season's second half.

That said, Wilson and Co. already have a diminishing margin for error because of their early struggles, so a turnaround must happen quickly.