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It appears Sunday's blowout loss to the Los Angeles Rams was the last straw for Nathaniel Hackett. Per Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos have fired the first-year head coach amid the team's brutal campaign where they sit at 4-11 on the season. Senior assistant coach Jerry Rosburg will take over duties as Denver's interim head coach, per Adam Schefter.
The Broncos also released a statement on the decision:
We have parted ways with Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett.
A statement from Broncos Owner & CEO Greg Penner: pic.twitter.com/1tWMjHv6em
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 26, 2022
To be honest, they probably should've canned Hackett sooner. The Broncos have been in a downward spiral for weeks on end. Between Russell Wilson's atrocious season and Hackett's questionable play-calling, it's become increasingly clear Denver needed a head coaching change.
Hackett was hired back in January after three years as the offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, helping them possess one of the best attacks in the NFL with Aaron Rodgers under center. Clearly, he couldn't bring that brilliance to the Mile High City.
While Hackett is definitely partly to blame, you simply cannot ignore Wilson's struggles. After signing a $260 million deal in the offseason, the former Seattle Seahawks signal-caller is in the midst of arguably his worst campaign ever. He's completed just 60% of his passes while throwing for 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In the embarrassing 51-14 defeat to LA on Christmas, Russ was picked off three times.
Under Hackett, the Broncos were dead last in the league in scoring with a measly 15.5 points per game and 24th in total yards. A change was definitely needed, but it's too late to actually turn around the season. Let's just hope the front office does an extensive search and brings in a proven coach who can make a difference from Day 1 and help turn this ship around in 2023.
