Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett. (Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
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The Broncos and Chargers both deserved to lose on Monday Night Football as Nathaniel Hackett and Brandon Staley tried to outdo the other with bad coaching.
NFL fans have been cursed with some really bad football in primetime this season. Way too much of it has come courtesy of the Denver Broncos.
So with the Broncos playing the Chargers on Monday Night Football, there wasn’t much promise for good football.
Yet somehow, it was even worse than anyone could have imagined.
The head coaches on both sidelines seemed convinced that they weren’t in a battle to win a football game. The competition was to see who could do the worst job.
Nathaniel Hackett and Brandon Staley tried to lose Monday Night Football
Twitter had words for both Nathaniel Hackett and Brandon Staley:
it’s like watching two squirrels try to play chess
— Phil Murphy (@Phil_Sports) October 18, 2022
Brandon Staley vs. Nathaniel Hackett absolutely delivering
— Alex Barth (@RealAlexBarth) October 18, 2022
Staley vs. Hackett
Couple of dumbass coaches
— Devin’s Bookie (@DevinsBookie) October 18, 2022
Brandon Staley is pulling a Nathaniel Hackett against Nathaniel Hackett.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 18, 2022
Brandon Staley in Kliff-level hell right now
— Patrick Daugherty (@RotoPat) October 18, 2022
Dear NFL Gods,
Please don’t waste another year of Justin Herbert’s career with Brandon Staley and Joe Lombardi.
— Al Sacco (@AlSacco49) October 18, 2022
I know people complain about the Broncos in primetime but this is where it pays off. Watching Hackett/Wilson try to win a game late and find new ways to fuck it up. It’s exciting!
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) October 18, 2022
By the time overtime rolled around, people were done with both head coaches and both teams.
Who wants more of this terrible football game?!?
— Dan Greenspan (@DanGreenspan) October 18, 2022
Chargers-Broncos for the 2022 Dumbass Championship let’s go to OT!!!
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) October 18, 2022
In the end, the Chargers won the game with a 39-yard field goal after the Broncos muffed a punt. It was a fitting end to an ugly game.
Denver had their offense going initially. They took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Los Angeles fought back to tie the game in the second quarter.
Everything after halftime was painful for the offenses. The two teams traded field goals until they ended up in overtime locked at 16-16. There were more muffed punts (1) than first downs (0) in OT.
Along the way, Hackett infuriated Broncos fans by abandoning the run in short-yardage situations. Staley drove Chargers fans crazy by going for a fourth-down attempt at the start of the fourth quarter instead of kicking a go-ahead field goal, then mismanaging his timeouts in the final minutes.
The good news is the game eventually ended and football fans won’t have to watch the Broncos or Chargers in primetime next week.
