AFC West

The struggling Denver Broncos may be in line for some serious changes this offseason.

According to Jason La Canfora of The Washington Post, "There is a mounting consensus that [head coach Nathaniel Hackett] will not be back—'They can't sell that to their fans in 2023,' one GM said—and three executives I spoke to all believe that front office changes are more likely than not in Denver."

La Canfora added that the job security of general manager George Paton, in particular, has been called into question by folks around the NFL.

Hackett, 42, was hired in January to take over for Vic Fangio, who spent three seasons as the team's head coach and never led them to a winning record. The hope was that Hackett, after tenures as the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills (2013-14), Jacksonville Jaguars (2016-18) and Green Bay Packers (2019-21), could help transition Denver's offense alongside new quarterback Russell Wilson.

Instead, the results have been nothing short of a disaster.

The 3-9 Broncos rank last in the NFL in scoring (13.8 PPG) and 27th in yards (315.2 YPG). They've only scored 17 or more points in two or more games. To put that in perspective, their upcoming opponents, the Kansas City Chiefs, haven't been held to less than 17 points in a single game this season.

The result has been eight losses in their last nine games.

Wilson in particular has been bad, throwing for 2,558 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games while completing 60.1 percent of his passes. The decision to both trade for him and sign him to a five-year, $242.5 million day does not look good in hindsight.

That doesn't bode well for Paton. The general results on the field don't bode well for Hackett. If major changes come for the Broncos this offseason, it won't come as much of a surprise to anyone.

The NFL has fined Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald after he committed an unnecessary roughness penalty on Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Sunday in L.A.'s 26-10 loss.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided the details.

The play in question occurred with 9:51 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs up 20-10. On 3rd-and-goal from the 7-yard line, Donald and Michael Hoecht combined to sack Mahomes, but the former was called for a facemask penalty.

The play didn't cost the Rams. Three snaps later, Mahomes tossed an interception to safety Nick Scott.

L.A. quarterback Bryce Perkins threw his own pick two plays after that, however, and the Chiefs closed the game with two field goals.

An NFL executive believes the Green Bay Packers may not have been aware of wide receiver Davante Adams' true impact before trading him to the Las Vegas Raiders during the offseason.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, an anonymous NFL personnel executive said the Packers "perhaps didn't realize what their identity was," which was for quarterback Aaron Rodgers to throw the ball up to Adams when a play was needed on offense.

The exec noted that the decision to trade Adams "did not work," and that Green Bay should have kept its No. 1 wideout for Rodgers' "peace of mind."

Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have been shells of their former selves this season, which is why the Packers have been arguably the most disappointing team in the NFL with a 4-8 record.

While Rodgers was NFL MVP in both 2020 and 2021, the 18-year veteran has largely looked average this season, completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 2,682 yards, 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Much of that seemingly has to do with a lack of established weapons. Without Adams in the fold, Rodgers has had to lean on Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and rookies Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs at receiver, although most of them have missed significant time due to injury.

That, in turn, has caused Rodgers to hold the ball longer than usual, and it has resulted in him getting sacked 24 times in 12 games.

Adams isn't enjoying much team success either this season, playing for the 4-7 Raiders, but he has continued to be a stud individually with Derek Carr throwing him the ball.

Through 11 games, Adams has made 71 grabs for 999 yards and 10 touchdowns, putting him in the mix to possibly be a first-team All-Pro for the third year in a row.

Adams has finished with double-digit touchdowns three years in a row and six of the past seven seasons, plus he had well over 100 catches in both 2020 and 2021, and a career-high 1,553 yards last season.

It is now blatantly obvious that Adams was the one who made the Green Bay offense go, and it is no coincidence that the Packers now look like a cellar-dwelling team after three straight 13-win seasons from 2019 to 2021.

The Denver Broncos don't plan on making a change at quarterback amid Russell Wilson's ongoing struggles, at least at the moment.

Head coach Nathaniel Hackett told reporters on Wednesday that Wilson won't be benched "right now" as the team looks to find answers for its disappointing offense.

The Broncos are in an almost impossible situation with Wilson right now. They have so much invested in him that it's in their best interest to see if he can play his way out of this season-long slump.

It's also in Hackett's best interest to see if he can work with Wilson to turn things around. There have already been several rumors and reports about his future as Broncos head coach amid the team's 3-8 start,

Peter King wrote in his Football Morning in America column this week that he will be "extremely surprised" if Hackett isn't one-and-done in Denver.

There may not be anything Hackett can do to save his job at this point. Barring a dramatic turnaround and a lot of help from other teams in the AFC, the Broncos are going to miss the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.

The Broncos offense under Hackett and with Wilson at quarterback is on pace to be the lowest-scoring unit in the NFL since 2000:

Wilson signed a five-year, $245 million contract extension with the Broncos in August that doesn't even begin until the 2024 season. He has dead-cap hits of $107 million in 2023 and $85 million in 2024, per Spotrac.

After being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during his 10 seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson has fallen off a cliff in his first year in Denver. The 34-year-old is completing 58.9 percent of his attempts for 2,369 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 starts.

If Hackett does want to bench Wilson, Brett Rypien is the Broncos' backup quarterback. He started against the New York Jets in Week 7 when Wilson was out with a hamstring injury.

Rypien went 24-of-46 for 225 yards with no touchdowns and one interception in a 16-9 loss.

Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson has faced much scrutiny for his lackluster performance on the field, but amid the team's three-game losing streak, he's also facing questions about his status off the field.

Wilson, who was seen being yelled at on the sidelines by defensive tackle Mike Purcell during Sunday's 23-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, told reporters on Wednesday that he believes his relationship with his teammates is perfectly fine.

"I’ve got great relationships in that locker room," he said. "Whoever is trying to tear that down, you can’t. … There’s always noise, especially when things aren’t going the way you want them to."

Things haven't gone as planned since Denver acquired Wilson from the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster trade that cost it three players and five draft picks, and then rewarded him with a $245 million contract extension before he ever took a snap for the team. The Broncos are in the midst of a disastrous season and sit in last place in the AFC West with a 3-8 record.

Wilson's play has not come close to meeting expectations, as the nine-time Pro Bowl selection has thrown for just 2,369 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season. He has failed to develop chemistry with Denver's receivers, leading to an inept offense that ranks 25th in the league with an average of 319.1 yards per game.

The team fell under even more of a microscope after Purcell's sideline blowup. Both Purcell and Wilson downplayed the exchange as "frustration" after the game, but it likely indicated a deeper issue facing the Broncos.

While Wilson believes his standing with his teammates is intact, Mike Klis of 9News reported that his 34th birthday celebration on Tuesday night was attended by "about half the team."

The Broncos will try to end their skid when they visit the Baltimore Ravens (7-4) on Sunday.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has led his team to five straight wins, and he has reason to celebrate off the field as well.

On Monday night, Mahomes announced the birth of his son, Patrick "Bronze" Lavon Mahomes III. It is the second child he shares with his wife, Brittany, following the birth of their daughter in February 2021.

Mahomes has been a man on a mission this season, leading the NFL with 3,585 passing yards and 29 passing touchdowns through the first 12 weeks. He has powered the Chiefs to a 9-2 record, the best in the AFC.

Kansas City will return to action Sunday at the Cincinnati Bengals (7-4) in a rematch of last season's AFC Championship Game.

Running back Melvin Gordon III is remaining in the AFC West.

Gordon told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that he will be signing with the Kansas City Chiefs after being waived by the Denver Broncos earlier this month. Gordon told Mike Klis of 9News that he will be joining the practice squad.

The University of Wisconsin product is expected to be on the active roster "soon" ahead of the season's "stretch run," per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Gordon appeared in 10 games for the Broncos this season, tallying 90 carries for 318 yards and two touchdowns to go with 25 catches for 223 yards.

He figured to be the primary back after Javonte Williams suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 4, but he posted single-digit carries in five of his last seven games and lost some time to Latavius Murray.

The biggest problem for Gordon was ball security. He fumbled five times this season, one of which came at the goal line in the season opener against the Seattle Seahawks and another of which was returned for a touchdown in a Week 4 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett told reporters Gordon's most recent fumble was "unacceptable" before the team released him.

At his best, the 29-year-old was a Pro Bowler in 2016 and 2018 when he played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. He also ran for a career-high 1,105 yards in 2017 for the Chargers and has proved capable of picking up yardage between the tackles and beating defenders with speed in the open field.

The Chiefs likely won't task Gordon with too much offensive responsibility. He told Mike Klis of 9 News the team made "no promises" he would be a part of the active roster.

Yet with Clyde Edwards-Helaire on injured reserve because of a high ankle sprain, Gordon could work his way into the running back rotation with rookie Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. He should be able to take advantage of the additional space that quarterback Patrick Mahomes creates because opposing defenses are so worried about stopping the pass.

Most times, the enthusiasm of Seattle Seahawks fans creates a massive home-field advantage.

On Sunday, it backfired.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs credited one overzealous Seattle fan with helping motivate him before Las Vegas' 40-34 victory over the Seahawks.

“It all started before the game,” Jacobs told Peter King of NBC Sports. “This fan, when we came out of the tunnel, held up a sign: ‘3-7. NOT BAD FOR A TEAM WITH NO TALENT.’ And he was screaming at us, all this bad stuff. I just looked up at him and said, ‘Thank you for that. I needed that today. You turnt me up.’”

Jacobs rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns, including an 86-yard scamper in overtime to seal the win. The monster performance allowed Jacobs to take over the NFL's rushing lead with 1,159 yards on the season. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry is in second place, but he's a whopping 111 yards behind Jacobs.

It's been a trying season in Las Vegas, with six of the Raiders' seven losses coming by one score. They actually have a better point differential than the 6-5 Chargers, who will travel to Las Vegas next Sunday.

Now winners of two straight games, the Raiders may have one specific fan in Seattle to thank if they turn things around in the final stretch of the season.