Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

'Clueless in Seattle': Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett skewered for FG decision in loss to Seahawks

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 9/13/22

From social media to Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla, rookie Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett is getting skewered for his head-scratching decision to kick a 64-yard field goal late in Denver's 17-16 loss to Seattle on Monday night.

On 4th-and-5 with seconds to go, Hackett elected for the field goal instead of going for it with QB Russell Wilson, who recently signed a five-year, $245 million contract extension after getting traded from the Seahawks to Denver. Brandon McManus missed the kick.

Hey Coach Hackett, if you married Sophia Vergara, would you leave her sitting in the hotel lobby? You married RUSSELL WILSON! You traded four picks and three guys for him! PLAY HIM! #Broncos
— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) September 13, 2022

Don’t know if Hackett is/will be a good head coach, but I do know last night was a painful reminder that being a good head coach involves so much more than X’s&O’s. https://t.co/DvINuhXeV0
— Jim Trotter (@JimTrotter_NFL) September 13, 2022

“If you ask me, Denver’s rookie coach looked clueless in Seattle,” Kiszla wrote. “A year ago, NFL offenses converted 49% of the time in fourth-and-5 situations. I’m a knucklehead. So you do the math and tell me if Hackett played the odds correctly.”

The decision to not put the game in Wilson's hands was puzzling, but McManus defended Hackett.

The “46-yard line left hash was my line to get to. They got it there,” McManus said on Twitter. “Need to make the kick.”

Kizla refuted this.

“Hackett put his kicker in a position to fail. During a distinguished NFL career, McManus has now made one of eight attempts from beyond 60 yards,” he wrote.

“We just made our decision and wanted to take that shot,” Hackett said in the postgame news conference.

Kizla didn’t like that answer: “His explanation for a head-scratching decision during the post-game news conference was more over-caffeinated than a triple espresso.”

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