The clock management from Denver Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett in the final minute of Monday night’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks had many confused, including Peyton Manning.
With the Broncos down by a point and having just crossed midfield with the clock ticking under 60 seconds, it seemed like a perfect time for Hackett to use one of his three timeouts.
Hackett went the opposite route, though, bleeding the clock to 20 seconds while Manning, and seemingly the rest of the viewing audience, pleaded with the first-year coach to stop the time.
“You got three timeouts, (Eli), I might use one right here,” Manning said while appearing on ESPN’s “ManningCast” alongside his brother, Eli, and former NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe.
Manning even repeatedly put his hands together making the timeout signal, but it seemed Hackett already had made up his mind on how he wanted the end of the game to play out.
It didn’t pay off, as instead of electing to go for it on fourth-and-5, Hackett sent kicker Brandon McManus out to attempt an immensely challenging 64-yard field goal attempt, which he unsurprisingly missed.
It seemed like things would have gone much differently if Manning was on the sideline, but instead, he was just like a fan, imploring the coach to make a different decision.
