ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Everyone can stop ripping Nathaniel Hackett.
Oh, never mind. Venting frustration at the head coach after a 1-point loss may need a few more days, but know that no one second-guessed Hackett on his final-minute decision more than Hackett himself.
“Looking back on it, definitely should have gone for it,’’ Hackett said Tuesday at his day-after-game press conference.
The Broncos were trailing the Seattle Seahawks, 17-16, with about one minute remaining. It was fourth down and 5 with the ball at the Seattle 46-yard line – leaving two do-or-die choices. One, run down the clock and let strong-legged kicker Brandon McManus attempt a 64-yard field goal. Or, two, give new star quarterback Russ Wilson a play that would convert the fourth down and move the ball towards a closer field goal.
Hackett chose to run the clock down to 20 seconds and let McManus rip. McManus gave it a go, but his kick all-but-predictably lost steam and fell a tad to the left.
“Those things you look back and say, ‘Of course, we should go for it, we missed the field goal,’’’ Hackett said. “But in that situation we had a plan. We knew the 46 was the mark. We were third and [14] I want to say – I’m more upset about the play before it to lose [4] yards.’’
Hackett spoke about the shovel screen Wilson sent to Javonte Williams, who got quickly tackled for a 4-yard loss with 1:13 remaining. That brought up third-and-14. Wilson then threw the ball in the left flat, where Williams made his 11th reception of the game and broke a tackle for a 9-yard gain to the 46-yard line.
The mark for a field goal attempt.
Broncos at Seahawks
Had Williams only gained 8 yards, and the ball was left at the Seattle 47, Hackett would have gone for it on fourth-and-6. A series of unfortunate events, it seems, led to Hackett’s ultimate decision that was intensely criticized.
“We hit the mark we said we wanted to hit before the series started,’’ Hackett said. “The 46-yard line was where we wanted to be and we got there. We made the decision. We wanted to give it to Brandon. And we did. Didn’t work. It sucks. But hey, that’s part of it.”
Just as maddening was the Broncos had three consecutive second-half possessions that reached goal-to-go – with the ball reaching the 1, 1 and 3 yards lines. But instead of three touchdowns, the Broncos came away with 3 points.
“Shouldn’t have gotten to that [64-yard field goal attempt decision],’’ Hackett said. “Obviously the last decision is something you’re always going to 'Gosh, could have done this, could have done that.’ But I think what frustrates me more is that red zone. We had so many opportunities. We were inches away.’’
The 0-1 Broncos play their first home regular-season game Sunday against the Houston Texans, who finished 4-13 last year but opened this season with a surprising 20-20 tie against the playoff-contending Indianapolis Colts, who rallied from 17 points down in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
“I’ve already moved forward,’’ Hackett said. “We’re already game planning on a short week, so we’ve got to get rolling.”
Broncos podcast: Klis' Mike Drop
Denver Broncos headlines, game previews and interviews with our 9NEWS insider Mike Klis.
HOW TO LISTEN
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports
9NEWS+
9NEWS+ has multiple live daily shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is where you can watch live breaking news, weather updates, and press conferences. You can also replay recent newscasts and find videos on demand of our top stories, local politics, investigations and Colorado specific features.
To download 9NEWS+ on Roku search for KUSA.
To download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV search for 9NEWS.