Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard was upset with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton after Sunday’s blowout, and the reason was somewhat surprising.
Howard was critical of Payton for keeping Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson in the game all the way to the end despite Denver losing in a 70-20 blowout. For context, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa saw virtually no time on the field in the fourth quarter, with the game well in hand.
“That was totally disrespectful,” Howard said of Payton’s decision, via Adam Beasley of Pro Football Network. “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.”
One would normally expect the Broncos to pull Wilson since the game was so well out of hand in the fourth. Perhaps Payton had his reasons for wanting Wilson to play the entire game, and maybe Wilson was fine with it, but Howard certainly was not.
There has been a lot of speculation on the state of the relationship between Payton and Wilson. It would be interesting to find out if anyone in the Denver locker room quietly agrees with Howard’s view of things.
