Arguably the biggest move of the NFL offseason was the trade that sent Russell Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks to the Denver Broncos. The split between Wilson and Seattle wasn't entirely amicable, and naturally the 2022 schedule called for the two teams to meet to open the season. Denver went to Seattle for Wilson's homecoming and was defeated by Seattle 17-16, thanks in part to highly questionable clock management by new Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett in the game's waning moments.'
Being an NFL coach is hard. Really, real ly hard. Nobody would ever deny that. But every now and then, a moment arises in which the entire football-watching world is utterly convinced that they would do a better job than whatever poor soul with a headset has just embarrassed himself on live television.'
Wilson marched the Broncos up the field in a last-ditch effort for the win. Running back Javonte Williams was tackled at the 46-yard line, making it fourth-and-5 with 1:01 to play. Hackett still had all three of his timeouts. The whole world watched in horror as the game clock ticked all the way down to 20 seconds before Hackett finally called a timeout — and then sent out his kicker to attempt a 64-yard field goal, rather than trust his Hall-of-Fame quarterback to move the ball five yards. It was perhaps the most inglorious coaching debut since Matt Patricia's 48-17 thrashing at the hands of the Jets in 2018.
The Broncos play in the AFC West, arguably the most competitive division in the sports. A los s like this makes it that much harder to keep pace with the likes of the Chiefs, Chargers and Raiders. How does this Week 1 embarrassment impact Denver's playoff hopes, to say nothing of their dreams of a Super Bowl? Find out below.