Broncos coach makes big admission about Monday night loss

Aug 20, 2022; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett enters the field before a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

Nathaniel Hackett on Tuesday made a big admission about his Denver Broncos’ 17-16 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.

The Broncos lost after Brandon McManus missed a 64-yard field goal attempt with just under 20 seconds remaining in the game. The team’s entire end-of-game decision-making was questionable.

After a passing play on third down ended with around a minute left, Denver had a 4th-and-5 with all three timeouts left. Rather than take a timeout to think things over, the team let the clock go down to 20 seconds left before stopping the game.

Then, Hackett sent McManus out to attempt a 64-yard kick rather than let his offense go for it. We were baffled by the decision.

A day later, Hackett said they “definitely should have gone for it.”

"Looking back at it, we definitely should have gone for it."

Broncos HC Nathaniel Hackett reflects on his late-game decision to kick a 64-yard field goal rather than attempt to convert on 4th down.

(via @TroyRenck)pic.twitter.com/OHbWCmj78Y

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 13, 2022

If he truly feels it was a bad decision, he’s probably helping himself by admitting the error. Not only does it make him look less stupid because he at least recognizes the mistake, but he’s also now publicly reinstilling confidence in his offense and quarterback. That counts for a lot.

The reasoning is simple: the chances of the offense converting a 4th-and-5 is higher than McManus making a 64-yard kick. Had that been a field goal under 60 yards, it would have been more reasonable to try the field goal. But at 64 yards, it’s unreasonable to expect your kicker to make it. You only attempt that kick if you’re desperate, like in 4th-and-20. At 4th-and-5, you go for it.