There's no question that the have a lot of soul-searching to do if they want to make the playoffs. Between the offense's struggles, head coach Nathaniel Hackett's questionable decisions, and the injuries piling up, the season appears to be lost already. that this Broncos team would never be a Super Bowl contender, though they still had a chance to be a good team. After the lo s to the , I imagine plenty Bob Pettit Jersey of fans are wondering whether this team will even be good.The Broncos do have some tough choices to make, and while it was one thing not to make changes on a short week, they don't have those limitations now. But we also need to understand where this team is really at and what general manager George Paton may have had in mind for the Broncos.Once I got the Colts game out of my system (and I'm as guilty as anybody of griping about that game), I took the time to look at what others are saying about the Broncos and that there might be a bigger picture that Paton has in mind, which some may not have considered.Let's go over the state of the Broncos, what might be at play, and what adjustments can be made to salvage the 2022 season. Why Hackett Is Really Getting Scrutinized and published a piece about Hackett, noting that he has arguably entered the highest profile situation of any first-time NFL head coach in that his team acquired, in trade, a veteran QB considered one of the best in the game.Here are a few tidbits from my Substack post :Bruce Arians may have started DeAndre' Bembry Jersey with Carson Palmer, but Palmer was acquired for a sixth-round pick when his stock was low.Kyle Shanahan did acquire Jimmy Garappolo in a midseason trade, but before that, the Niners filled the QB room with free agent Brian Hoyer and fifth-round pick CJ Beathard.Dan Campbell did have new arrival Jared Goff from a trade, but the purpose of the trade was to move Matthew Stafford, with the Lions taking Goff because the Rams couldn't afford to keep both Stafford and Goff on the roster.Steve Wilks did get new arrival Sam Bradford, but Bradford was by no means considered a top QB. Furthermore, the Cardinals traded up to draft Josh Rosen.It's hard to find a situation comparable to Hackett and Ru sell Wilson, who was acquired in a blockbuster trade. And there are more cases of first-time head coaches being paired with either a drafted QB, a young signal-caller who hasn't looked good, or a veteran who was already on the roster.There's no guarantee that if the Broncos hire a different head coach, and leave everything else equal, they'll have succe s. Denver paired a first-time head coach with a top veteran QB, who was new to the team and who was used to doing things a certain way, particularly because he had succe s with it.Compare that to a first-time head coach being paired with a young QB who analysts consider to be a bust. A QB like Daniel Jones, for example, isn't going to be able to lean on "what works for me" Brandon Goodwin Jersey all the time because he hasn't had a high level of succe s.Now, imagine if you take other first-time head coaches and give them a high-profile trade. If, for example, Shanahan started with Kirk Cousins acquired in a blockbuster trade, he would get a bigger spotlight.On the other hand, take Hackett and put him in a situation that Brian Daboll has. Expectations are certain to be lowered for Hackett, because few fans will expect him to get a playoff trip out of, say, Drew Lock and Tyrod Taylor.None of that is an excuse for Hackett's coaching mistakes. But it's important to remember that the spotlight on Hackett was always going to be large and bright, regardle s of his coaching decisions. Hackett & Wilson Needed Time to AdjustI will now refer you to , who wrote about Wilson and Hackett prior to the Colts' game. Clinton does a good job of breaking down when Hackett is at fault, when Wilson is at fault and when both do a good job on a play and in the last case, that's when you see results.Many of the struggles that both Hackett and Wilson are going through are due to what Hackett wants to do as a coach, and Wilson not grasping some of it, particularly when it doesn't play to his strengths.On one hand, Hackett isn't wrong to want an offense that can move the chains in chunks rather than through big plays. On the other hand, Hackett is trying to install concepts that work for Wilson based on plays that are from the ' offense, some of which involve shorter pa ses that Wilson isn't comfortable with.Clinton notes that we get glimpses of what Wilson can do in Hackett's offense and how well it works. And while I don't know what Clinton thinks now that the Colts game is out Khyri Thomas Jersey of the way, he does believe things will work given time.With that said, it's fair to ask whether Hackett should dial down the plays that Wilson isn't comfortable with and do more of the plays that fit the QB's style. Hackett doesn't need to abandon everything from the Packers' offense, nor does he need to just let Wilson throw long bombs all the time. But some adjustments could help with Wilson's comfort level and take some pre sure off his shoulders.Another thing to remember is that Wilson is new to the Broncos and, thus, still needs to find a comfort zone with his teammates. He's not like Kirk Cousins, who has a new head coach in Kevin O'Connell, but has played with Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen for several years.Thus far, Courtland Sutton is the only receiver Wilson seems to trust, perhaps to a fault. Wilson hasn't looked KJ Hamler's way enough, and he may not trust Jerry Jeudy much given his drops. It's also fair to ask whether Tim Patrick's absence hurts because he would have given Wilson another receiver who is a good fit for what the QB likes to do. O-Line Needs a Change, But Not the One You ThinkRight tackle has been the subject of Broncos fans' ire for some time. But while Cameron Fleming has his i sues, he is not the weakest link in the offensive line.The weakest link is the interior, which starts with Lloyd Cushenberry III. The third-year center has shown minimal improvement and the Broncos can Kris Dunn Jersey 't rely on him any longer.Graham Glasgow hasn't been great, but he hasn't been terrible, either. He has experience at center and is the Broncos' best option there, to bring some stability to the interior.Dalton Risner has regre sed at left guard, but it may be worth asking if this comes from playing alongside Cushenberry. As a rookie, Risner played alongside Connor McGovern, who left the Broncos in free agency the next spring.It's po sible that moving Glasgow to center will help Risner. And while it's true that losing Garett Bolles doesn't help, Calvin Anderson has shown he can manage the left tackle position more so than the right. The hope is that Anderson will handle the load and, if he does, that could help Risner as well.As for Billy Turner, whom the Broncos have said would have been able to play against the Colts, it's understandable they wouldn't start him on a short week. If Turner stays on course, of course, he should be in t