In the latest installment of our Denver Broncos Mailbag, members of Broncos Country wanted to know whether or not Sean Payton’s sideline spat with Russell Wilson was out of line. Was it or is that something that’s common in the NFL?

Denver Broncos Mailbag Week 16 edition

Should anything be made out of Sean Payton’s one-sided conversation with Russell Wilson in the Detroit game? – Ed Helinski.

This is a fantastic question, Ed. Saturday’s NFL Network broadcast captured Sean Payton apparently scolding Russell Wilson for an unknown reason after Denver failed to score on one of their drives in the second half. This has been a major talking point amongst the fanbase this week, and my answer might not sit well with them. This is football, and in the NFL, it’s the highest level in the world. Football is such an emotionally intense sport that showcases nearly every emotion you can feel as a human. Payton is old school; he’s fiery on the field, and even at the podium, it’s who he has always been. I can’t even begin to explain how many times I got chewed out as a player by my coaches when I played. When I transitioned into coaching, I also had my fair share of moments where I had moments like that with players I coached. Is it right? Not necessarily, but it’s something that happens often across every level of football and more than most realize at the NFL level. Russell Wilson has accepted tough coaching from Payton this season and hasn’t waivered one bit. Saturday’s game was frustrating, and that sequence was boiling-over point. If it’s any consolation, Payton has done the same thing to coaches on the sideline this season. It’s all part of the deal!

What will it take for the Broncos to get the ground game going? Pretty remarkable to be sitting at 7-7 without a 100-yard rushing performance this season. – Marc Louis.

Hey Marc, that’s definitely an interesting statistic when you look at this season in a vacuum. Despite the team not having a 100-yard rusher this season, they’ve found ways to collectively run for 130+ yards over the course of their five-game winning streak, which has been helpful. To me, the Broncos struggles in the run game this season have been related to the team’s struggles with an inconsistent passing game. When Denver’s run game is working, they’re able to have a little bit more of a balanced passing attack and force defenses to play them honestly. When the run game isn’t working, it makes opposing defenses gameplans much more effective at rushing Russell Wilson and trying to contain the passing offense, which lacks an intermediate game. As of late, the Broncos passing offense has relied on three-point shots or layups, and as my co-host Sayre Bedinger on Locked on Broncos said, Denver lacks a mid-range game. This isn’t the identity that Payton wants for his team, and I’m sure he’s going to be all over implementing changes to fix this going into next season.

Do you think Lucas Krull will actually have a bigger role this Sunday? Unlike Trautman, he can get open and has enough speed for YAC. A breakout game from Krull might help the offense not be one-dimensional and actually capable of attacking the seam. – newtype_jk47 on Twitter.

To be honest with you, Krull has all of the traits and tools to emerge as a potential exciting weapon for Sean Payton. However, I don’t think we’ll see that this year. Denver’s passing offense has been very limited this season, as mentioned above, and while Krull possesses the size, speed, and athleticism to make plays, it’s hard to imagine the Broncos’ offense turning things around with just three games remaining. They haven’t played their best football, and at this point, it doesn’t seem like they can get there soon if they haven’t been able to for the first 15 weeks of the season. Many of Denver’s route concepts are complex, with the intent being scheming guys open. Some of the routes that Denver runs are taking a bit longer to develop in comparison to what you see from some teams around the league. We haven’t seen a lot of slants, hitches, quick-hitting drags, or digs this season relative to a quick passing game.

Who of the three remaining games will be the biggest test for the Broncos? And if the Broncos make the playoffs who would be your preferred playoff matchup? – Andrew Livingston.

Great question here, Andrew. New England, in my opinion, is going to be a difficult task. The Patriots have the second-best run defense in the league, holding opponents to an average of 84.9 rush yards per game. With Denver coming off of a game where they struggled to get to 83 yards on the ground, it emphasizes the importance of a more balanced passing attack. New England’s defense is stingy and aggressive, and I’d expect them to replicate an approach similar to that of the Detroit Lions this past week. The Raiders will be a challenge for Denver in Week 18, but they’ll have to beat the Patriots this weekend to keep their playoff hopes alive. IF they were to make the playoffs, part of me feels that matching up against the Kansas City Chiefs or Jacksonville Jaguars would be better scenarios for them rather than the Baltimore Ravens or Miami Dolphins, but at this point, Denver would likely secure the final wildcard spot which wouldn’t give them a promising choice.