Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett looks on before the game against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday, September 12 at Lumen Field in Seattle. (Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images)Photo: Getty Images
The numbers don't lie.
And neither do the eyes.
Through the first two games of 2022, the Denver Broncos have struggled in the red zone. The have not scored a touchdown inside the opponent's 20-yard line in six tries.
After the win over the Houston Texans, Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett told the KOA Sports Zoo that will not cut it.
"We have to be better, especially when we're down there," Hackett said. "I have to be better. We have to get better plays so that I can make those guys be even more successful."
Certainly the Broncos must execute better deep in the opponent's territory. At the same time, the other side of the Broncos early red zone issues is that sometimes things like that are simply cyclical. Sometimes a team goes through a rough patch where they don't get the breaks, for whatever reason.
"It can be that way," Hackett told Marty Lenz and Mike Rice on Colorado's Morning News on Friday, September 23. "Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it goes down no matter how good you are. "It's the hardest place to score in the game because the field is short and things have to work out for you. I think we've been very close; we've been inches away numerous times. There are so many different opportunities there and I think that's what you have to keep showing the guys. Hey, the opportunity is there, we just have to finish it."
If the Broncos can start finishing off opportunities in the red zone, then this offense might take off.
Check out the full interview with Coach Hackett: