After having one of the most hyped-off offseasons in recent memory for an NFL franchise, the Denver Broncos have completely fallen on their face. Their Week 16 drubbing at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams was the cherry on top of their awful season, a team that has been equally as bad as them this year.
Russell Wilson looked as bad as he has this year, the offensive line consistently did not protect their ‘franchise QB’ all that well, and the defense, which has been the only slightly-good aspect of this roster this year, allowed Baker Mayfield and the rag-tag offense to put up 51 points.
The Broncos cannot have this current season end soon enough, but let’s revel in their Week 16 misfortunes a bit longer by taking a look at who let this team down the most this past week.
3 Broncos most to blame for Week 16 loss
3. Russell Wilson
Absolutely no surprise here, but Wilson was one of the biggest reasons why the Broncos struggled every single time they touched the ball. Consistently making awful reads and failing to lead this offense, the game plan quickly was thrown out of the window, thanks to Wilson and his inefficiencies.
A 15/27, 214-yard line with 1 TD and 3 INTs has unfortunately become the norm for Wilson ever since he was traded to the Broncos, the opposite of how he looked on an every-game basis in Seattle. The Rams were without Aaron Donald on their defensive line, and yet Wilson still never looked comfortable on Sunday, a big reason why he never was consistent.
2. Offensive Line
In three of the last six games, Wilson has been sacked a whopping six times, and he has been sacked at least three times in every game but two so far this year. There has been next to no accountability for this part of the offense, and while Wilson’s creativity usually leads to success, he has not even had time to carry out plays with his legs.
Frustration ultimately boiled over to a sideline spat between Dalton Risner, one of Denver’s starting offensive linemen, and backup QB Brett Rypien, which TV cameras ultimately caught. Whether Rypien was justified in confronting the OL unit to help Wilson up after being sacked or if he was just trying to stick up for his fellow QB, this unit was a big reason why the offense was never able to set up shop and be efficient.
Denver’s ownership and the front office did not even let Hackett make it through his first full season as head coach, as he was canned one day after Christmas. While the NFL absolutely is a business, letting your coach go after playing on a holiday and not even letting him see out his first full season is pretty suspect, to say the least.
But Hackett certainly should not be let off the hook at all, as his first season as Denver’s HC was a disaster. Handpicked after a long offseason coaching search, the team never seemed to buy into Hackett as a coach and as a leader, which is pretty close to impossible to overcome once the season begins.
Hackett and his offensive game plan did not adapt to game script very well, leaving Wilson and the whole offensive unit in long-yardage situations all too frequently. He certainly is a smart offensive mind that could latch onto a postseason-bound NFL team to consult for the playoffs, but expect to see Hackett get a chance to run an offense again next year.
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