Hackett offers Melvin Gordon no endorsement postgame after key fumble
Oct 2, 2022, 6:05 PM
Once again, another Melvin Gordon fumble killed the Broncos on Sunday.
It was his fifth in his last five games, and this is officially a massive problem. Some are even wondering if he should still be on the team.
The Raiders returned Gordon’s latest gaffe for a touchdown, changing the momentum of the game and it was clearly one of the key plays in Denver’s loss. The Broncos are now just 2-2 on the season after the 32-23 defeat. Gordon finished with just three carries for eight yards, and also dropped a pass.
The fumble came on his first carry of the game in the second quarter, allowing Las Vegas to take a 16-10 lead. He was used sparingly the rest of the way, and maybe only at all because Javonte Williams left with a knee injury.
After the game, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett was asked about his confidence level in Gordon. He certainly didn’t offer up an endorsement.
“In the end, you can’t put the ball on the ground. It’s that simple. We always say take care of the ball, it’s the most important thing, and it’s not like he’s trying to do it. We understand that (and) we have to be even better with our ball security across the board. The other guys did a good job and, you know, Melvin had that one,” Hackett said.
That isn’t a coach who sounds like he has much confidence in Gordon moving forward. Although, again, the Williams injury complicates things. Despite the fumble, the Broncos did get the game tied at 16, after Russell Wilson led a nice touchdown drive. Hackett was proud of that.
“I really loved how the guys battled. They stayed in it. They could have definitely gone down in the tank and they didn’t. We still had a chance there at the end, got it down to a field goal game. In the end, that’s what you’re asking for from your team. All those things, they do happen, and that’s a hard way to win games whenever you lose the turnover differential,” Hackett said.
Wilson didn’t throw an interception, and Gordon’s fumble was the only turnover of the game. It proved to be yet another big one. And his head coach didn’t really have his back after the game.
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