All it took to fix Russell Wilson was for Broncos to fire Nathaniel Hackett

Where the heck have you been hiding all season, Mr. Unlimited?

During the final act of a season everyone in Broncos Country would like to forget, Russell Wilson finally played like the $245 million quarterback we were promised before this bumpy ride began.

After he threw for 283 yards and three touchdowns in Denver’s 31-28 victory against the Chargers, I had a confession to make to Wilson after the sun set Sunday for the last time on a 5-12 team football team.

“I admit at times this year, I watched you play,” my question to Wilson began, “and I said: ‘OK, where’s the nine-time Pro Bowler?’”

Wilson replied: “I’ve asked myself that same question: ‘Where’s he at?’”

Was this confident version of Wilson we saw in the season finale, when he was the architect behind the most total offense (471 yards) engineered by the Broncos since Peyton Manning came off the bench in the final regular-season game of the 2015 season to start a glorious Super Bowl run, the quarterback the Broncos can count on next season and for many years to come?

If so, we all would sign up for that ride. And by all, I’m including Sean Payton or Jim Harbaugh as the next coach of the Broncos.

Or should we dismiss this performance as one last flash of brilliance from a fading star? Wilson shined throughout a game that was meaningless in every way, except for the possibility that Chargers coach Brandon Staley was so gosh-awful that perhaps Broncos CEO and co-owner Greg Penner might soon need to keep an eye on Los Angeles for a competing bid for the services of Payton or Harbaugh?

To quote Eminem: Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?

“I feel like I fell short,” Wilson said, “of my own standards and my own level of expectation of what I know and how I love to do it.”

Is Wilson fixable? It might be too big an ask from Payton, Harbaugh or any other coach the Broncos hire.

Does Wilson need fixing? The mere suggestion makes the skin crawl of interim coach Jerry Rosburg, credited with the first NFL victory of his career at age 67.

“I think we all understand that there’s an overload of opinion out there .. and when those things start snowballing, people just pile on,” Rosburg said. “I think what you saw out there (against the Chargers) from Russell Wilson was Russell Wilson. That’s who he is. He’s a Hall of Fame NFL quarterback. Everything has to fit together for the quarterback to play winning football. You saw (today) what it would look like if we ever got to that point.”

Here’s my working theory: Wilson is already fixed. While he took responsibility, pointing a finger of blame at himself for not delivering on his promise of championship football, I’m here to tell you his No. 1 problem was Nathaniel Hackett, the worst coach of this franchise in at least the last 40 years.

I swear if general manager George Paton and franchise ownership had the guts to dismiss Hackett prior to hopping on a plane to London in October, replacing him with Rosburg before it was too late, your Broncos would’ve taken the final playoff berth in the AFC instead of Miami.

Culture change? It’s amazing Rosburg could introduce accountability to a team with losing habits and revitalize the competitive spirit of the Broncos in a brief 13 days at the helm, without the hugs, a Pop-a-Shot machine in the players’ lounge or all that other new-age malarkey Hackett mistakenly believed could hide the harsh truth he didn’t have a clue on the Denver sideline.

Mark me down that Wilson will prove to be a plus, rather than an impediment, to the success of the next Broncos coach. He can be a top 10 quarterback in this league. There can be another Pro Bowl invitation in his future. The magic isn’t gone.

“You’re trying to find that magic, in every game, every play, every moment,” Wilson said.