After the Denver Broncos 17-16 loss against the Seattle Seahawks, what must they improve on if they want to beat the Houston Texans? Yes, Nathaniel Hackett burned the Denver Broncos’ last two timeouts when the Seattle Seahawks were in victory formation, but they were a lost cause at that point. Hoping for a botched snap at that point was a bigger dream than the prayer of a 64-yard field goal that the Denver Broncos attempted.
As the 12th man went absolutely bananas, the play clock for the Denver Broncos offense continued to bleed. This happened so much that the Broncos’ offense actually drew multiple delays of game penalties, and escaped a couple more.
There was one that was a bit trigger-happy from the officials Monday Night, but there were plenty more that were pushing the envelope. On the plays that Russell Wilson was able to get off just in time, the plays came rushed, which caused an immense amount of confusion.
Denver Broncos should have made better use of timeouts in the 4th quarter
This confusion led to what may have been the biggest blunder from the Denver Broncos, Javonte Williams’ fumble when the Denver Broncos had 3rd & goal from the one-yard line. Graham Glasgow said he did not hear that the Denver Broncos checked into a run and that he was setting up in pass-pro.
In turn, Graham Glasgow ended up three yards in the backfield, ultimately crashing into Javonte Williams before he could even get going. With the play clock bleeding down like it was, that gives an advantage to the defensive line that they did not have before in jumping the snap.
Instead of the Denver Broncos rushing into this play, a timeout could have been used. If you have the option of trading a timeout in for a touchdown, you make that trade 100% of the time. Now, that is not to say it would have guaranteed a touchdown, but at that point in the time, scoring one should have been the number one priority.
Instead, no timeout was caused. There was confusion and disarray from the offensive line, which caused Javonte Williams to get hit before he could protect himself or the football. Which ended up in the Denver Broncos fumbling on a play that started from inside the one-yard line, again.
Timeouts can be used for several things, stopping the clock at the end of the half, giving your team a breather, making sure everyone is on the same page, etc. One thing I hope Head Coach Nathaniel Hackett learned from his first game as a Head Coach is that timeouts can be lifelines.
Utilize your lifelines.
Next time, use the timeout. Protect the points, protect the football, and put the offense in the best position to succeed by making sure everyone is on the same page.
Trust in your franchise quarterback, Russell Wilson
I’m not saying that Head Coach, Nathaniel Hackett, does not trust Russell Wilson, I’m just saying he should prove he trusts Russell Wilson. By choosing to kick a 64-yard field goal with Brandon McManus, the Denver Broncos decreased their chance of winning.
Regardless of any analytical statistic you see, just ask yourself this question, “If I had the chance to win a million dollars and it came down to Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos converting a 4th & 5 or Brandon McManus drilling a 64-yard field goal, which would I choose?”
I’d hope that you picked Russell Wilson because Brandon McManus is 0/6 from field goal attempts over 61 yards. Brandon McManus is a good kicker but that is just a tough ask. Maybe this was Coach Hackett showing the team he believes in McManus unlike former Head Coach, Vic Fangio.
There were times when you would see visible frustration on the face of McManus during the Fangio era. It’s ok to make the wrong decision, we have all done it. There was a plan in place by the Denver Broncos, there was a spot that McManus needed to feel comfortable, the Seahawks’ 46-yard line, at the left hash.
Javonte Williams and his heroic efforts got the Denver Broncos just that. Maybe it would have worked out in the Denver Broncos’ favor if Javonte wouldn’t have been such a force and went down and made it 4th & 7 instead of a 4th & 5.
In his postgame conference, Russell Wilson stated his faith in Hackett and his decision-making, but I’m sure Russell Wilson wanted the ball in his hands to cement the game himself. Maybe that is why Hackett took it out of Wilson’s hands so that if Wilson messed up, he wouldn’t be the center of the attack.
That would be a selfless decision and one that I would respect if it were true.
I do think after Coach Hackett’s comments on Tuesday when he said, “Looking back at it, we definitely should’ve gone for it,” he understands he has to trust Russell Wilson and his abilities. I’m hopeful that next time around he considers Russell Wilson a safer bet than Brandon McManus kicking from 64-yards.
Improve the communication
Well, this should be the easiest thing to improve on coming home and leaving the ground-shaking Lumen Field in Seattle. That crowd was incredible, outside of the boos directed towards Russell Wilson, respect is had for the impact the 12th-man has on games.
Having that nickname is not an exaggeration, they provide a serious advantage for the Seattle Seahawks when they are at their best.
For a first-time Head Coach, even more for the first-time duo of Head Coach and quarterback, that had to be an incredible test of their ability to communicate. Coming home to Denver, the offense will have to have better communication, there will be clear airwaves for it.
Remember when Peyton Manning was operating the offense and he would control the crowd? Expect the same from Russell Wilson. With that, play calls have to get in quicker from the coaching staff. Russell Wilson and the offense should not be breaking the huddle with less than ten seconds remaining at home.
This should create fewer penalties, fewer mistakes, and better overall output and result for the Denver Broncos. Improving communication goes for the defense too. There were several examples where the Denver Broncos’ defense looked to be on completely different pages as well.
I’d chalk this up to just a lack of time together in live game action. It wasn’t the same for the Denver Broncos defense, they had the advantage of having more quiet time with the Seahawks being at home, and the crowd is naturally more at rest while the offense operates.
With the Denver Broncos being at home against the Houston Texans, things will get a bit noisier while the Denver Broncos’ defense operates. You will hear IN-COM-PLETE chants, banging of seats, and DEFENSE chants throughout Empower Field.
5 moves the Denver Broncos should make after loss to the Seahawks
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It needs to be noted that as a unit, the defense played lights out in the second half. It looked like they worked their kinks out. Hopeful for a massive game from the Denver Broncos defense, that begins with all eleven members on the field and the coaching staff off, being on the same page.