Xavien Howard Says Broncos Made 'Totally Disrespectful' Decision Not To Pull Russell Wilson In 50-Point Loss

If you were surprised to see Russell Wilson still in the game while down by 50 points, you aren't the only one.

The Miami Dolphins put on the offensive clinic of a lifetime Sunday — dismantling the Denver Broncos 70-20 and nearly breaking the all-time scoring record in an NFL game. Yet with no chance of winning, the Broncos left their starting quarterback out there to take the beating.

In fact, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham is the only one of Denver's 47 available players who never saw the field Sunday.

Emmanuel Ogbah sacks the Broncos QB. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Even Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard criticized the decision.

"That was totally disrespectful," Howard said. "That man did a lot for this game. They've got to do better on that side. You can't be leaving guys like that out there."

Russell Wilson took a beating Sunday.

Wilson was on the field for each and every one of the Broncos' 59 offensive snaps. He took 12 hits in the game, including one sack. One of those hits came courtesy of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who knocked the wind out of the 34-year-old QB early in the second half.

"That was a tough one today," Wilson said. "It felt like the game kind of got away from us."

That's the understatement of the century, Russ.

Russell Wilson took 12 hits in Sunday's blowout loss to the Dolphins. But he never left the game. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)

Wilson finished the game 23 of 38 for 306 yards with one touchdown and one interception. And he's far from the Broncos' biggest problem.

"There's also a lot of perspective to understand that 0-3 doesn't feel good, but the reality is we've got 14 games left," Wilson told reporters afterward. "You've got to put your blinders on, and you've got to know that this is a race. You've got to know it's a journey."

And from the looks of it, 2023 might be a long, long journey.

I guess if there's any good news for the Broncos, it's that it can't get much worse than a 50-point blowout. It can only go up from here!

If, that is, Russell Wilson doesn't keep getting leveled.