The Denver Broncos announced on Monday they have fired first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett. The move comes after the Broncos were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams on Christmas Day, 51-14, with Russell Wilson throwing three interceptions and Denver’s defense failing to force a single Rams punt. Hackett compiled a 4–11 record in his first season with Denver after replacing Vic Fangio as head coach this past offseason. Broncos senior assistant Jerry Rosburg will take over for Hackett as interim head coach.
Broncos owner and CEO Greg Penner released this statement announcing the decision: “On behalf of our ownership and organization, I want to thank Nathaniel Hackett for his dedication as 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 recognize and appreciate this organization’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’ offense is one of the worst in the NFL this season, and QB Wilson is having the worst year of his career, throwing for just 3,019 yards and 12 touchdowns to nine interceptions in 13 games.
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