DENVER (AP) — In a season that has gone sideways, Denver Broncos rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett is willing to bench just about anyone to shake things up.
That includes himself as the league’s lowest-scoring team play-caller.
“I think we will always look at everything,” Hackett said after the Broncos (2-5) wasted another dominant defensive performance in a 16-9 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.
With backup quarterback Brett Rypien reporting for an injured Russell Wilson, the Broncos once again struggled to find the end zone, having done just eight times in seven games.
It has become an all too familiar theme for the Broncos, who average just 14.3 points per game. That, at least, has amused Hackett with the idea of handing over the play-calling duties to focus on the bigger picture.
“I always look at myself first and foremost,” Hackett said. “If there’s something we can all agree on that maybe I’m holding the team back or something like that, sure. But I don’t think that’s the case.”
Still, he added: “We will always look at everything to try to improve and help this offense.”
Only a few more months on the job and Hackett may already be feeling the heat. The new ownership group has not spoken out publicly about the early season issues of Hackett and Wilson, who are off to the worst start of his 11-year career and missed a game for the fourth time as a pro on Sunday.
Hackett’s first season was marked by a series of mind-bending decisions (an attempted 64-yard field goal late in a season-opening loss in Seattle) and turnover (a muted run last Monday night in overtime that set up the Chargers’ game… winning field goal) .
Lose to Jacksonville next weekend in London and next week could be interesting. This is a Broncos team that hasn’t made the playoffs since Peyton Manning, Von Miller and the company led them to a Super Bowl title to close out the 2015 season.
There was a lot of optimism that they would break their five-year streak of losing records after general manager George Paton hired Hackett and then trade for Wilson in the off-season.
Instead, the battle continues.
“The heat is always on,” Hackett said after the Broncos’ fourth straight defeat. “You always want to give yourself a chance to make the playoffs. We are behind the eight ball now. We have to find a way to fight ourselves out of this hole.”
The Broncos saw Wilson on the headset instead of on the field due to a hamstring injury. Rypien said Wilson was a “great leader.” However, Rypien was unable to fuel the attack and threw 225 yards and one interception. His last delivery of the game went wide for KJ Hamler.
“Everyone in that locker room feels the urgency to get better,” Rypien said. “That starts with every man looking at himself in the mirror and thinking about what I can do to help this offense. Since your defense plays just as well as our defense, you shouldn’t lose any games. That’s just a fact, period.”
The Broncos defense certainly did their part as they kept Zach Wilson and the Jets to 10 first downs and forced eight punts.
“That’s a good football team there,” said Jets coach Robert Saleh, whose team improved to a surprising 5-2. “They’re inches away and they have a great defense there.”
Even on offense, Denver dominated in most categories, including increased total yards (324-260) and possession time (nearly a five-minute gap). But it didn’t translate into points on a windy day when reliable kicker Brandon McManus missed a point after try and a 56-yard field goal. The Broncos also had a few offensive possessions that resulted in punts at just 24 seconds and 43 seconds.
“I’m tired of being here and saying the same thing over and over,” Hackett said. “There are no excuses. We’ve been to every game. We have to win these games. As a team, as attack, defense, everyone.
“It’s frustrating to have to say the same thing here because, like I said, those opportunities are there. We have to make them. It’s that simple.”
____
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
