Russell Wilson’s return to Seattle ended in disastrous fashion, as a bizarre call made by Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett cost them dearly.
Wilson’s Broncos lost 17-16 to the Seahawks in a nailbiting contest, but the superstar quarterback could have enjoyed a different ending had it not been for Hackett.
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With the game on the line, on 4th and 5, first-year head coach Hackett opted not to let Wilson run a play.
Instead, he decided to go for a 64-yard field goal, a distance that would have equaled the second-longest field goal in NFL history.
With the record for longest field goal standing at 66 yards, it was always going to be a big ask of Brandon McManus.
That is what it ultimately proved to be, as the kick flashed just wide of the left upright.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll was jumping for joy as his side got off to the perfect start, while Wilson and the Broncos prepared to make the unhappy journey back to the Mile High City.
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Several fans questioned the mind-boggling call from Hackett to go for the field goal rather than put the ball in Wilson’s hands.
It was a disappointing end to the game for Wilson upon his return to Seattle, the city where he’d previously spent his entire NFL career.
He was traded to Denver in the off-season along with a fourth-round pick while the Seahawks collected two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a fifth-round pick, QB Drew Lock, defensive lineman Shelby Harris, and tight end Noah Fant in a monster haul.
Wilson inked a five-year, $245 million ($A357 million) deal with the Broncos but he looked like a QB worth barely half of his salary.
The Denver star completed 29 passes from 42 attempts for 340 yards and only one touchdown in return.
His opposite number at the Seahawks, Geno Smith, outshone him with two touchdowns as he clinically aired it out for 195 yards from 23 of 28 completed passes.
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