Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos came straight out of the bye week and landed smack dab back in the loss column against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10. After 10 weeks in the 2022 season, the Broncos have lost six of their games. So being in the loss column is something the team is unfortunately very familiar with. After pulling off a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars before the bye, Denver looked to get a second consecutive win. Unfortunately, they couldn't get it done.
The Broncos looked like a poorly prepared football team in many aspects. Let's look at some takeaways and discuss who was responsible for the Broncos' Week 10 loss against the Titans.
The entire Broncos offensive line
Another week, another poor performance by the Broncos' offensive line. As is the case with all NFL teams, an offense will only go as far as an offensive line will allow it to go. And so far, Denver's offensive line is seriously hindering the offense.
Yes, the current Broncos offensive line is decimated by injuries and mostly down to second- and third-stringers. But one might think they'd still be able to provide Russell Wilson with some protection.
During the game against the Titans, Wilson faced an onslaught of pressure and had virtually no time to throw. He ended up hit 18 times and sacked six times. Wilson is already nursing various injuries this season, so being hit so often will eventually catch up to him in a painful way. The Broncos need to find an offensive line arrangement that works sooner rather than later.
Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett
For 10 straight weeks, coach Hackett has trotted out the same unprepared, undisciplined football team. After each loss, Hackett answers all his press conference questions the same way. Either something along the lines of “going back to look at things” or other coaching cliches.
"We're not here to be No. 1 in close games. We're here to win football games." – Coach Hackett pic.twitter.com/hiIj6NdwIv
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 14, 2022
It's very clear changes need to be made, but Hackett is pretty adamant about staying the course. Now entering Week 11, it certainly doesn't look like something will finally “click” with the Broncos' offense. For weeks now there have been calls for Hackett to hand over play-calling duties to another coach on staff, but he has yet to do so. With Hackett refusing to give up the duties, the offense will continue to look inept and stall on multiple drives.
The Broncos currently have the worst scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 14.6 points per game. To make things even more embarrassing, Denver's offense is wasting a stellar defense. The Broncos' scoring defense is first in the league, holding teams to just 16.6 points per game. So frustratingly enough, every game the Broncos have been in this year has been winnable thanks to the defense keeping the team in the game.
Russell Wilson
Unfortunately, Russell Wilson will have to get looped into this despite the decimated offensive line. Wilson continues to perform at a below-average level, which is seriously concerning considering the Broncos signed him to a mega-contract in the offseason.
Late in the fourth quarter against the Titans, Wilson had the opportunity to conduct a drive that would tie the game. Wilson was able to get the offense to the 21-yard line with 40 seconds left in the game. Wilson would end up getting sacked for a sixth time. Wilson also fumbled the ball, and luckily enough, the Broncos recovered. Unluckily though, it was then fourth-and-long. Hopes of the Broncos tying the game came crashing down when Wilson threw a game-sealing interception.
It's hard to tell if Wilson's play is a large part of the problem, or if Hackett's offense is hindering him that badly. As it looks right now, it seems to be a vicious combination of both. Is it too early to start getting worried about Wilson?
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