Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has struggled in his first season in charge, so much so that some fans are understandably calling for him to be fired.
Hackett does have some built-in excuses for the team’s poor performance, though, with injuries ranking near the top of the list.
Before the season even started, the Broncos lost No. 2 wide receiver Tim Patrick for the year to a torn ACL. On Sunday, the team lost fellow receiver Jerry Jeudy to an ankle injury, and the team went into the game without KJ Hamler, who is nursing a hamstring injury.
In the backfield, rising star Javonte Williams will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, and fellow running back Mike Boone is still on injured reserve with an ankle injury.
On the offensive line, Garett Bolles is on IR with a leg injury and his replacement, Cam Fleming, is currently out with a quad injury. At right tackle, the team lost Billy Turner to a knee injury on Sunday. Then backup center Graham Glasgow (who was filling in for an injured Lloyd Cushenberry) suffered a shoulder injury.
On defense, Denver was missing safeties Justin Simmons (knee) and Caden Sterns (hip) and outside linebackers Randy Gregory (knee) and Baron Browning (hip) on Sunday, then cornerback K’Waun Williams left the game with a knee injury.
Hackett hasn’t been good enough, but the Broncos’ growing list of injuries would also be difficult for any coach to overcome.
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