A reflective Hackett speaks on lost season winding down for Broncos
Dec 12, 2022, 3:56 PM
Sometimes, it just feels like they know.
Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett might see the writing on the wall. At 3-10 in a lost season for Denver, it’s looking more and more unlikely he’ll return as the team’s head coach in 2023. It just hasn’t been good enough for the Broncos. Certainly not with the expectations entering the year or the maddening ways they’ve lost football games.
At least on Sunday against the Chiefs, they showed some heart. They rallied from a massive deficit and nearly stole the game from Kansas City. It showed the players haven’t quit on Hackett.
But still, at his press conference on Monday, Hackett sounded like a man who’s going to soak up this next month. Because they are more than likely the last four games he’ll ever be the head coach of the Broncos.
“I think right now, I’m living week by week. So I’ll be able to reflect later. I’m just trying to learn and take notes. I’ll reflect as we go, but right now I just want to get another win with this team. With all these guys together,” Hackett said.
Another win would certainly be nice for the Broncos. Finishing 3-14 is a possibility, though, especially with the health of QB Russell Wilson up in the air. Hackett says the team has an obligation to keep competing, even in a lost season.
“For us, we’re all professionals. We love this game, we love going out there and competing. We’re all paid to come out there on Sundays and compete. I love this team. I love these guys. They’ve been going out there and running with the best teams in the NFL and having a chance to win. They play for each other and I think that’s incredible. That’s what you want to build on. That’s the foundation you want to have,” Hackett said.
It’s a foundation that Hackett is trying to build, but the reality remains Denver is tied for the second worst record in the NFL. We can ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve’ all day with this team, but they just haven’t been able to win games. Although they have been close, as Hackett often likes to point out.
“They always have a chance to win, even if you’re down 27-0, you’re going to battle back,” Hackett said. “I think those are all the great things we can build on, that we can show. And we’ve got four games left. Four more opportunities to compete and that’s all you can ask for.”
Four more games, indeed. Just four more Sundays until we can all forget this miserable 2022 season. And potentially only four more times that Hackett is the head coach.
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