ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The images were everywhere and the headlines popped up coast to coast. In the span of roughly 14 days, first-year Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett went from a potential breath of fresh air to a coach whose team identity included penalties, clock management problems and puzzling end-of-game decisions.
Hackett may be the first coach in Broncos history to have his home fans frustrated enough, during what is usually the new coach's honeymoon period, to count down the play clock before each snap in the fourth quarter of … a win. “I love how passionate our fans are, I really do,'' Broncos offensive coordinator Justin Outten said last week as he mustered a smile and echoed Hackett's it's-all-good sentiments. "… You can take it sarcastic or whatever it may be, but just to show the passion, how much they love this game and how much they love the Broncos… and we are going to make them proud.” Safe to say a lot has happened during Hackett's first three weeks of the regular season.
It’s a stretch that started with a somewhat disorganized loss to the Seahawks in a return game for quarterback Russell Wilson, who spent his first 10 seasons in Seattle.
Trailing 17-16 with 1:11 remaining, a short pass on third down set the Broncos up with a fourth-and-5 from their own 45. The Broncos had two timeouts and could have opted to have Wilson get them in better position for a field goal. • College QB-WR combos paying off in NFL • Jimmy G has 8.5M sources of motivation • Bears hope Herbert can 'knock it forward' • Learning curve bumpy ride for Hackett • Olave bright spot for struggling Saints Instead, Hackett sent out kicker Brandon McManus to try a field goal that was so long — 64 yards — only two kickers in league