Russell Wilson’s poor start vs. Cardinals leaves Broncos fans worried about franchise’s future - “Is this the same ride we were on last year?”

Russell Wilson took to the field for the Denver Broncos against the Arizona Cardinals with the sole aim to shut up his doubters and prove that he is still an elite quarterback.

It might only be the preseason but he had a lot to prove. Franchise quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers for the New York Jets, where his former head coach Nathaniel Hackett is now the offensive coordinator, rarely take the field in the pre-season.

But Russell Wilson needed to start this preseason game and show that he has the ability to be the dominant quarterback on the field and find the confidence that is needed going into the regular season.

It was the first time that Sean Payton was taking them out in a proper game and the quarterback would have had half-an-eye on that as well. Last season's abysmal performances could be chalked down to a rookie head coach but that excuse does not apply this season.

With all these hopes and expectations, unfortunately, Russell Wilson failed to give a statement performance. By the time he had led them on the first drive, people were on his back as he looked shaky.

Reddit soon blew up with comments, which highlighted that many of the Mile High faithful had not gotten past the trauma of the previous season.

Here are some of the reactions to the team's performance:

How bad was Russell Wilson?

With Denver Broncos fans still having fresh memories of their struggles last season, there is always the possibility that Russell Wilson would be unfairly criticized. The spotlight is squarely on him. If two coaches cannot make it work, the blame usually falls on the quarterback.

And while many fans might have been a bit too critical of him, his performance was genuinely underwhelming. He completed just seven of his 13 attempts for a measly 53.9% completion rate.

His passer rating of 102.4 was inflated because Jerry Jeudy scored a touchdown. But the situation was very different from what one would expect in a regular season game.

It is highly unlikely that every time the Denver Broncos are on a 4th-and-5 in field goal range, they will hand the ball over to their quarterback instead of their kicker.

Granted, there is not much one can read from just a single preseason game. Maybe Russell Wilson will blow away the cobwebs when the regular season begins.

But in a stacked AFC West division that also contains Kansas City Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes and Los Angeles Chargers' Justin Herbert, he will have to begin shining quickly to restore some faith in a fanbase that is teetering towards mutiny against him.