Sean Payton on Russell Wilson, Broncos Offense's 4th Series: 'I Wanted to Score'

Russell Wilson was on the field a lot longer in the Denver Broncos' preseason opener than most people would have predicted, but head coach Sean Payton did it for a very simple reason.

Speaking to reporters after Friday's 18-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Payton explained he "wanted to score" when he sent Wilson and the first-team offense out for a fourth series.

In their first game with Payton as head coach, the Broncos didn't look significantly better on offense than they did last season.

Their first three possessions ended with one three-and-out and two missed field goals. They gained a total of 55 yards on 16 plays against a Cardinals team that's regarded as having arguably the worst roster in the NFL.

The fourth drive is when the Broncos did start to show signs of life. Wilson completed three of his four attempts for 44 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown pass to Jerry Jeudy on 4th-and-5 with pressure bearing down on him.

Overall, though, it's hard to come out of this game feeling confident Wilson is going to go back to being the player he was before the 2022 season. He was 7-of-13 for 93 yards and one touchdown overall.

The Cardinals only sacked Wilson once, but he got hit five times combined on Denver's second and third drives. His first pass was thrown behind Adam Trautman and his second was batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Payton told reporters earlier this week he planned to have the starters play 15 to 18 snaps against the Cardinals. The offense hit that mark after the first three drives, but they went back out there to get a chance to end the day on a high note.

It's always dangerous reading too much into one preseason performance, especially the first game, but Broncos fans had reason to hope Payton's history of being able to coach up offenses would lead to improvements.

The results didn't appear to be very encouraging, though now we will see how Payton and the offense adjust going into their next preseason game on Aug. 19 against the San Francisco 49ers.