It took just two weeks, but a Denver Broncos coordinator is already on the hot seat. Following a horribly executed return coverage in Week 1 that could have cost Denver the game against the Titans, Darren Rizzi's special teams unit was at it again in Week 2. Denver saw great bounce-back play from its offense, timely stops from the defense, but none of it mattered in the end.
This time, an inexcusable personal foul on a missed game-winning field goal gave the Colts a second chance at a victory, which they would have no problem capitalizing on to hand Denver a loss. The Broncos forced the Colts into a 60-yard field goal attempt to win, and Spencer Shrader missed wide right to seemingly end the game.
Thankfully for him, the Broncos committed arguably the dumbest penalty they have under Sean Payton. Eyioma Uwazurike was called for trying to leverage the center on the snap, which is a 15-yard penalty that quite literally took a victory from the Broncos and hand-delivered it to the Colts.
Darren Rizzi is already on the hot seat in Denver, just two games in
If Denver's special teams unit is going to play like this in 2025, the team won't have much of a shot to do anything of note. Denver's special teams unit has now committed a game-changing blunder in two straight games to start the season, and there is only one man who shoulders direct blame for that: special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
Rizzi was brought over by Payton this spring after basically everyone who worked on that side of the ball left the organization, and it has been a horrid start. Denver allowed Chimere Dike to have a 71-yard return against them as time almost ran out in the first half of week 1, allowing for the Titans to steal three points at the end of the half. Denver went on to win, but a close loss could have been largely blamed on Rizzi's unit.
Now, his unit throws the game away against the Colts, in what would have been a much-deserved win for the Broncos' offense, and a hard-fought win for the defensive unit that was tested and made one last stand when they needed to.
Rizzi is the primary reason Denver sits at 1-1, and was not far from taking the team to 0-2 to start. With key matchups in the AFC looming, including with a suddenly Joe Burrow-less Bengals in week 4, the team Denver barely beat out for the final AFC playoff spot last year. If the special teams play doesn't turn around quickly for the Broncos, Sean Payton could be forced to make a move at coordinator before the season's end.