Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
The Denver Broncos look to break a four-game skid against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 8’s London matchup.
As Week 8 looms large, Broncos Wire breaks down five things to watch in the Denver Broncos matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mostly duds for the Broncos after yet another loss.
The Denver Broncos’ Week 7 matchup against the New York Jets ended in a 16-9 loss at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday afternoon. Broncos Wire chronicles the studs and duds from the loss.
The Broncos have had the edge over the Chargers historically.
The Denver Broncos will look to snap a two-game losing streak when they face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6’s installment of Monday Night Football.
The Broncos have a 70-54-1 all-time record against the Chargers, dating back to their time in San Diego.
This will be Denver quarterback Russell Wilson’s first meeting against Los Angeles in the orange and blue. Unfortunately, Wilson owns an 0-2 record versus the Chargers during his career.
Last season, the Broncos were 1-1 against their AFC West rivals. Their last meeting was a decisive win for Los Angeles, a 34-13 loss for Denver at SoFi Stadium.
Former Broncos quarterback Drew Lock went 18-of-25 passing for 245 yards and a touchdown. Lock’s counterpart, Justin Herbert went 22-of-31 for 237 yards and two touchdowns in the beatdown. The straw that broke Denver’s back during the game came in the fourth quarter, when Chargers returner Andre Roberts returned kicker Brandon McManus’ kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Can Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett find a way to keep up with Los Angeles and keep Denver in the hunt for the AFC West? We’ll find out on Monday night.
[pickup_prop id=”28587″]
[vertical-gallery id=687622]
The Broncos eked out a 16-9 win over the Texans in Week 2. Here’s who stood out in the win.
[sendtonews_embed video_id=”E9OPcXqnNJ-2246376-7498″]
The Denver Broncos’ 16-9 win over the Houston Texans wasn’t pretty by any means, but it was the first win of the Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson era.
Here’s a quick look at six studs and duds from the game.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Broncos got their first win of the season against the Texans in Week 2.
[sendtonews_embed video_id=”E9OPcXqnNJ-2246376-7498″]
It wasn’t pretty, but the Denver Broncos (1-1) defeated the Houston Texans (0-1-1) at home 16-9 in Week 2, earning their first win of the season.
In the first half, the Broncos’ offense struggled again in the red zone, a problem that carried over from their season opener. After Denver went 0-of-4 on red zone drives against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1, the Broncos started 0-2 in the red zone against the Texans in Week 2.
Denver settled for field goals on both of their drives that went deep into Houston territory in the first half. The Broncos’ offense also struggled early in the third quarter, with quarterback Russell Wilson throwing his first interception of the season on the team’s opening drive of the second half.
Denver’s offense finally came to life in the fourth quarter when Wilson connected with tight end Eric Saubert on a 22-yard touchdown pass to give the Broncos a 13-9 lead. Wilson finished the game 14-of-31 passing for 219 yards with one touchdown and one turnover.
In addition to Wilson’s touchdown pass, Denver kicker Brandon McManus converted on three field goal attempts. McManus is now 6-of-7 on field goal attempts this season.
The win did come at a cost for the Broncos. Denver lost two key players to injuries during the game — wide receiver Jerry Jeudy and cornerback Pat Surtain both suffered shoulder injuries in the first half and did not return.
Up next for the Broncos is a Sunday Night Football showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) at home in Week 3.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
[vertical-gallery id=620142]
“We definitely should’ve gone for it,” Nathaniel Hackett admitted Tuesday after the Broncos attempted a 64-yard field goal on MNF.
#Broncos Hackett said they should have gone for it on fourth down #Denver7 pic.twitter.com/wRqwUB8dxW
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) September 13, 2022
After sleeping on it, Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett is willing to admit he made a mistake against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
The Broncos were trailing the Seahawks by one point when they got the ball back late in the fourth quarter. Before their drive started, Denver’s staff spoke with kicker Brandon McManus and set the 46-yard line as a target to reach for a potential game-winning field goal.
When the Broncos ended up reaching the 46-yard line, Hackett decided to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of allowing quarterback Russell Wilson to try to pick up a fourth-and-five and put the team in better field goal range.
McManus had the distance on his kick, but it hooked left and the Broncos lost to the Seahawks 17-16.
One day after the loss, Hackett admitted during his Tuesday press conference that he made the wrong decision.
“Looking back at it, we definitely should’ve gone for it,” the coach said.
Monday marked Hackett’s first game as a head coach in the NFL, and his decision to trust his kicker on a 64-yard field goal over his franchise quarterback seemed to be a rookie mistake. Fans in Denver can only hope Hackett will learn from that mistake.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
[vertical-gallery id=685752]
After Javonte Williams picked up nine yards, Nathaniel Hackett believed the Broncos were in good field goal range.
Late in Monday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos found themselves down by one point with the ball in their hands.
Before their final drive, kicker Brandon McManus had told coach Nathaniel Hackett that he could make a 64-yard kick from the left hash mark.
As the Broncos approached midfield with just over one minute remaining in the game, Hackett called a play that he believed would make a fourth-down more manageable, but he didn’t think the play would get the team within field goal range.
On third down, though, running back Javonte Williams gained nine yards and put Denver within range of a 64-yard field goal attempt.
“I was expecting to have to go for it on that down and distance because I believe we were about third and 14, third and 15,” Hackett explained after the game. “[Then] I thought Javonte made an incredible play and put us in the field goal range, the mark we were looking for.”
Facing a fourth-and-five, Hackett decided to let McManus attempt the long field goal instead of giving quarterback Russell Wilson an opportunity to try to pick up a first down and keep the drive alive for a shorter field goal.
McManus had the distance on his kick, but it hooked left and the Broncos lost 17-16 in heartbreaking fashion.
“Brandon gave it his best shot,” Hackett said. “That’s a long field goal to hit. I think he’s capable of that, but obviously I wish we would’ve got a lot closer. It put us in that weird spot there because we were in the field goal range but we were on that fourth down situation. Didn’t think we were going to get that many yards, so I thought it was a great job by Javonte. We just made the decision we wanted to take or shot there on that one.”
After the game, McManus accepted the blame for the defeat.
“I told them the 46 left hash, and they got me exactly there,” the kicker said. “They had the faith in me. I’ve just got to make that kick.”
Hackett indicated that if he’s ever put in that situation again, he’d still attempt a field goal.
“I thought he had plenty of distance on that one and just thought that we were going to be able to make that,” the coach said. “I have confidence in him, and if we have to put him in that situation again, I think he’ll be able to make it.”
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
[vertical-gallery id=685752]
Nathaniel Hackett is taking heat for his decision, but Broncos kicker Brandon McManus wants the blame to fall on him.
The Denver Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks 17-16 on Monday after coach Nathaniel Hackett decided to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of allowing quarterback Russell Wilson to try to pick up a fourth-and-five near midfield late in the game.
Hackett has faced a lot of criticism from fans and pundits for that decision (even ex-quarterback Peyton Manning didn’t like it), but kicker Brandon McManus took to Twitter after the game to pin the blame on himself.
“46 yard line left hash was my line to get to,” McManus tweeted. “They got it there. Need to make the kick.”
46 yard line left hash was my line to get to. They got it there. Need to make the kick
— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) September 13, 2022
McManus had the distance but his kick hooked left and the Broncos lost by one point.
McManus does have a powerful leg, but Denver just traded three players and five draft picks to acquire Wilson and then gave him the quarterback $296 million contract. When the game’s on the line, the ball should be in Wilson’s hands.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
[vertical-gallery id=620142]
But the clock management wasn’t the most the most head scratching decision made by the Broncos.
As is the case with every thrilling game, the ending is usually the most discussed and debated. Such is the case for the Denver Broncos following their 17-16 upset defeat to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football.
Despite fumbling twice on the goal line, the Broncos were in a prime position to leave Seattle with a road victory. Denver’s defense had completely shut the Seahawks out offensively in the second half. Trailing by only one point Russell Wilson and the Broncos offense got the ball back with roughly four minutes and all three time outs.
What transpired next was some of the most baffling clock management and decision making in recent memory. The Broncos started the drive at their 22-yard line and it took them 10 plays to advance only 32 yards. They finally faced a 4th-and-5 from Seattle’s 46-yard line and that’s all she wrote offensively speaking.
Denver arrived at Seattle’s 46-yard line with a minute left but let the clock burn until their was only 20 seconds left before calling their *first* time out, much to the chagrin of Broncos legends Peyton Manning and Shannon Sharpe.
Peyton Manning would have handled the final minute different than Denver did…. pic.twitter.com/yRqlxjFDQ3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2022
But the clock management wasn’t the most the most head scratching decision made by the Broncos. Instead of going for it on 4th down head coach Nathaniel Hackett elected to kick a *checks notes* 64-yard field goal for the win.
Going into Monday night, Broncos kicker Brandon McManus was 0-5 (now 0-6) in his career when attempting field goals of 62+ yards. According to ESPN Stats & Info, kickers since 1960 were only 2-for-42 attempting field goals of 64+ yards.
The Broncos traded two first round picks, two second round picks, a fifth round pick and willingly offered an extension worth up to $245 million dollars to obtain Russell Wilson. When push came to shove in crunch time, Nathaniel Hackett put his faith in his kicker to make a historically improbable play instead of his quarterback, who had already thrown for 340 yards, to get at least five more.
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll has been often criticized for seemingly taking the ball out of Wilson’s hands during crucial moments in games. Through one week, this trend has seemingly followed Wilson to Denver.
[listicle id=93484]
The Broncos’ one-point loss to the Seahawks on Monday night had its fair share of good and bad.
The Denver Broncos opened their 2022 season with a heart-breaking 17-16 loss in primetime against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday. Here’s a quick look at five studs and duds from the game.
