Trailing the Indianapolis Colts by three points in overtime on Thursday, the Denver Broncos got down to the five-yard line before facing a 4th-and-1.
Instead of attempting a game-tying field goal or running the ball to try to pick up one yard, coach Nathaniel Hackett called a pass play. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson tried to connect with receiver Courtland Sutton in the end zone but his throw fell incomplete and Denver lost 12-9.
After the play, receiver KJ Hamler was seen slamming his helmet on the ground. Replays revealed the cause for Hamler’s frustration: he was wide open and Wilson never saw him.
“It’s hard man,” Hamler said after the loss. “The NFL is hard. It’s a hard game. It’s hard, hard league to win in. You know, I’m frustrated. I think everybody’s frustrated.
“We just have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot, self-inflicted wounds, and you see what we can do, we drove down there fast. We can do that every time. We just have to finish. We have to execute. we have to finish.”
Hamler did not specifically call out his quarterback, but he did say it was a good play call, one that simply wasn’t executed well.
“We just have to execute better as an offense,” the receiver said. “[The] defense [has been] fighting their [butts] off. So, we just have to back them up, but overall, I think it was a great play call. Great play call, but there’s always things we can do differently.”
After losing to the Colts, the Broncos dropped to 2-3. Hamler and his teammates will look to bounce back when Denver goes on the road for a Monday Night Football showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6.
