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Who is to blame for the Broncos poor 2022 season? Examined…

By Lucas Coryell

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Nathaniel Hackett, Head Coach of the Denver Broncos looks on during the first half in the NFL match between Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Nathaniel Hackett, Head Coach of the Denver Broncos looks on during the first half in the NFL match between Denver Broncos and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 30, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images) /
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The Denver Broncos are 3-6 despite having the best scoring defense in the NFL. That’s because they are the worst scoring offense in the league. Not bad the worst. The biggest fight in Broncos Country has been who is to blame. Was the Russell Wilson trade a bum deal or is Nathaniel Hackett inept as a head coach and play-caller.

The answer is BOTH, but since this post is about blame. Who’s to blame for an absolutely abysmal 3-6 start with very beatable opponents to start the season? Nathaniel Hackett! This is despite Ejiro Evero and his defensive unit performing at a league-best in scoring. My reasoning isn’t that Wilson is great and Hackett is ruining him. Russell Wilson has not been his all-pro self, but other coaches with other quarterbacks have gotten better results and that falls on the head coach.

In fact, an article I read referenced the fact that if Denver had scored a subpar 18 points per game they would be 8-1. That 18 points represents the 7th worst offense in the league. This stat particularly sticks with me because over the last five years the offensive points per game have been 19.7, 20.2, 17.6, 20.6, and 18.1.

Vic Fangio and Vance Joseph (not beloved names when it comes to offense) outperformed this year’s offense with Case Keenum, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Lock, Joe Flacco, and I’ll throw Brett Rypien and Brandon Allen in there for a case in point.

So while I’ll admit the jury is still out as far as what Russ has left in the tank and anything less than stellar is in fact a major disappointment considering the investment.  The massive failure however falls at Hackett’s feet. The fact of the matter is that this is a results-driven league and coaches who were never touted for offensive prowess somehow got better results with what boils down to backup quarterbacks.

Denver is tied to Russell Wilson long-term and frankly, another coaching reset may not produce the wins we covet, but it’s not working. The Boss gets the blame and here’s to hoping it turns around somehow.

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