NFL News Roundup: Nathaniel Hackett reflects on 4th down call, Keenan Allen unlikely to play against Chiefs and more - September 13, 2022
Week 1 of the NFL season is officially done and dusted. We saw just about everything across the slate of games. After a week of football, there is usually plenty of news headlines for us to dive into.
Yesterday, September 12, saw the Seattle Seahawks ruin Russell Wilson's homecoming as they pulled out a 17-16 win at home. Brandon McManus missed a 64-yard field goal after Nathaniel Hackett opted against going for it on fourth and five.
San Francisco 49ers running back Elijah Mitchell will miss multiple weeks after suffering a knee injury against the Chicago Bears. Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Chris Godwin suffered a hamstring injury in the 19-3 win over Dallas.
That brings us to today's news. Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett reflected on his decision to take the ball out of Russell Wilson's hands on a fourth-and-five situation and opt for a long field goal.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles Chargers receiver Keenan Allen is unlikely to play against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 after suffering a hamstring injury.
Here are the latest headlines around the NFL on September 13.
Nathaniel Hackett reflects on fourth down call in NFL debut
This was probably the most-talked-about moment from Week 1. The decision to take the ball out of Wilson's hands on a fourth-and-five to try a 64-yard field goal. Hackett told reporters on Tuesday at his press conference that the team should have gone for it instead of attempting a field goal.
Hackett said (via NFL.com):
"Looking back at it, we definitely should've gone for it. One of those things, you look back at it and you say, 'Of course we should go for it, we missed the field goal'. But, in that situation, we had a plan. We knew the [46-yard line] was the mark."
Addressing his decision to attempt a game-winning 64-yard FG last night, Broncos’ HC Nathaniel Hackett just told reporters, “Looking back at it, we definitely should've gone for it.”
Given that Denver spent a lot of money to bring Wilson in, it did seem odd that when the game was on the line, they took the ball out of his hands. At least Hackett knows that now.
Keenan Allen unlikely to play Thursday against Kansas City Chiefs
The superstar receiver unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury in the Chargers' 24-19 win over division rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders. He now looks unlikely to take the field against the Chiefs on Thursday, as per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
#Chargers WR Keenan Allen is unlikely to play Thursday night against the #Chiefs, but there is optimism after tests that his hamstring injury isn’t anything long-term, per sources. Next game is Sept. 25 against the #Jaguars, two full weeks after the injury.
It would be no surprise if Allen doesn't suit up, given it is a short week for LA and that it is only Week 2 of the new season. The Chargers would likely be cautious early in the season, instead of rushing him to play and risk the chance of a more significant injury.
Najee Harris will play against the Patriots on Sunday
Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najee Harris has declared that he will play on Sunday against the New England Patriots. This is despite injuring his foot in the overtime win over the Bengals in Week 1 of the NFL season.
Harris said, via Adam Schein on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio:
"I'm good .. just got dinged up, nothing too crazy. The plan is, I should be ready to play. I should be back practicing. Today's our off day, so it's good [that] we got today off just to let it heal for another day and get ready to go this weekend."
It is certainly good news for the Steelers to have one of their main offensive weapons available for Sunday as they look to start the new NFL season with back-to-back wins.
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit Adam Schein on SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio, NFL.com, and H/T Sportskeeda