Nathaniel Hackett has been fired as the head coach of the Denver Broncos following the team's crushing loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Quarterback Russell Wilson threw three interceptions - including two on successive first quarter passes - to help the Rams collect a 17-0 lead in the first quarter .The defending Super Bowl champions went on to dominate the hapless Broncos en route to a 51-14 win.
Hackett's firing will come as no surprise to many. The rookie head coach struggled with basic time management calls early in the season, and the lofty expectations the Broncos held quickly turned the 2022 season into a nightmare with the team sitting at 4-11 after harbouring playoff hopes.
Hackett has become just the fifth coach in NFL history to be fired before the end of his first season. He struggled in his head coach role from day one and never seemed to figure out the chemistry between himself and Wilson. Denver acquired Wilson for an expensive bevvy of draft picks and players back in March and instantly awarded him a monster five-year, $245 million contract extension ahead of Week 1, adding tension around the franchise.
Against the Rams, Wilson returned from injury to throw a pair of interceptions on the Broncos first two drives as the Rams built a 17-0 lead before Denver had even registered a first down. The crushing defeat is perhaps the lowest moment in a season to forget for the Broncos, who had hoped to reach the postseason for the first time in seven years.
Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner released a statement following the news of Hackett's dismissal. His statement read: "On behalf of our ownership and organisation, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication has head coach of the Denver Broncos. We sincerely appreciate Nathaniel's efforts and wish him and his family all the best in the future.
"Following extensive conversations with George and our ownership group, we determined a new direction would ultimately be in the best interest of the Broncos. This change was made now out of respect for everyone involved and allows us to immediately begin the search for a new head coach.
"We recognise and appreciate this organisation's championship history, and we understand we have not met that standard. Our fans deserve much better, and I can't say enough about their loyalty during such a challenging stretch for our team.
"Moving forward, we will carefully evaluate every aspect of our football operations and make whatever changes are necessary to restore this franchise's winning tradition. I will lead our head coaching search with support from our ownership group and George, whom I have confidence in as our general manager.
"As we begin the process of selecting our next head coach, we remain focused on playing competitive football to finish the season on a positive note."
The Broncos travel to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the 12-3 Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. The Chiefs have secured the AFC West division title and will look to press for another win over their rivals.
