Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett talks with Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson (3) in the second quarter against the Houston Texans at Empower Field at Mile High. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Who's to blame for Broncos' woes — Nathaniel Hackett or Russell Wilson?

By Clark Dalton | Last updated 9/19/22

The ragged Broncos, who somehow are 1-1, look as if they could spin out of control. So who deserves the blame; rookie head coach Nathaniel Hackett or first-year Denver QB Russell Wilson?

Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla points the finger at Hackett, who he believes would have driven the Broncos into a ditch if it weren't for Wilson.

“Grabbing the wheel from the clown car driven by Nathaniel Hackett, quarterback Russell Wilson rode to the rescue of Broncos Country,” Kiszla wrote about mistake-prone Denver's 16-9 win over Houston on Sunday.

The Broncos were penalized 13 times for 100 yards and failed to score a touchdown in the red zone. Strange playcalling had fans and media flabbergasted.

SB Nation posted a reel to its Instagram mocking Hackett’s coaching — specifically an option play to tight end Andrew Beck on third-and-1 and a delay of game penalty that knocked the Broncos out of field goal range.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sports Blog Nation (@sbnation)

Denver fans booed the team and counted down the play clock to help the team avoid more mishaps.

“I don’t blame them,” Hackett said in a post-game news conference. “I mean, heck, I’d be booing myself. I was getting very frustrated.”

Although Hackett made several mistakes, Wilson doesn’t look like Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert.

Through his first two games, he’s only completing 58.9 percent of his passes — 26th of 33 qualifying quarterbacks. He completed 45.2 percent of his passes against the Texans.

Former teammate Richard Sherman poked fun at Wilson’s catchphrase “Let Russ cook” while the QB was struggling against the Texans.