BRONCOS

A fired up Nathaniel Hackett is sick of the Broncos losing close games

Oct 23, 2022, 6:12 PM

Same old, same old.

That’s what the Denver Broncos looked like on Sunday against the New York Jets at Empower Field at Mile High.

Brett Rypien playing QB over Russell Wilson didn’t matter. The offense was once again anemic, scoring just nine points in the 16-9 defeat. Broncos fans are watching a terrible movie over and over again, and it doesn’t look like the end of the film is anywhere in sight.

After the game, head coach Nathaniel Hackett looked like a man out of answers. His team stinks, his offense stinks and his job could be in serious jeopardy. At least Hackett didn’t say Denver played anything close to well enough. He was fired up about us having to watch this brutal product every week.

“There’s no excuses. We’ve been in every single game and we’ve got to win these games. As a team, offense, defense, everybody, we’ve had these opportunities. We’ve been in these situations. And it’s frustrating being up here having to say the same thing. Because, like I said, those opportunities are there and we’ve got to make them. It’s that simple. It’s the NFL, it’s going to be hard, especially close games which we’ve been in. You’ve got to come through and win those games,” Hackett said.

At 2-5 and on a four game losing streak, the Broncos are doing the opposite of winning right now. They’re losing and they’re losing a lot. And the explanation is an easy one: The offense can’t score. In four games at home this year the Broncos have scored 16 points, 11 points, nine points and nine points. It’s mind boggling. And the defense has to be getting frustrated, as Denver wastes their excellent performances game after game.

“In the end, we win and lose as a team. They all know that. They have to hold each other accountable. And those opportunities, like I said, I know that’s kind of a broken record, but they’re there. And we’ve got to capitalize on them. It’s that simple. Once we start doing that, I think we’ll see this thing turn around a little bit. But until then it’s going to be the same story. In a close game and we have to find a way to win that damn thing,” Hackett said.

Hackett then apologized for saying the word “damn” — a clear sign he’s conscious of his every move right now. The coach seems to be aware he’s on thin ice.

Lose in London next week to the Jaguars and drop to 2-6, and he may be looking for a different plane home than the one the rest of the team travels on.

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