Here’s why Nathaniel Hackett looked at Thursday when studying the Broncos’ schedule

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The Broncos’ 2022 schedule dripped into focus over a week before Nathaniel Hackett could see the entire slate Thursday. When he finally got it, the first-year head coach zeroed in on one thing.

It wasn’t the Week 1 opponent. It wasn’t the placement of the bye. It wasn’t the number of prime-time games.

But it was about one single prime-time game that has more disruptive impact on the week-to-week routine that NFL teams crave:.

“Thursday game,” Hackett said. “Just because that’s the biggest bearer of all of them.”

It’s all about that midweek game which every team must play once — and the short week it yields unless you get the break of playing after a bye.

Denver didn’t get that break; four days prior to the Week 5 TNF game against the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 6, it will face the Raiders in Las Vegas.

No excuses, though.

“Wherever they want to put the ball down, we have to go play,” Hackett said. “I mean, you look at it: There are always some questions about some things, some things you’re excited about, but in the end it doesn’t matter. You have to get out there and go.”

But in a week in which hours count toward maximizing what little rest and recovery players can have, at least the trip is relatively short.

“You got a game on Sunday, you put the guys through so much, win or lose, then you have to turn around and you have to play in four days,” Hackett said. “Just from the preparation for the coaches, for how we get ready for that, how we get the players ready for that, recover their bodies. At the same time, get their minds right for a new opponent.

“That’s something you always want to find out where that lies within the season and how you’re going to adjust to it.”

The Broncos have been respectable on short weeks; since the NFL Network began airing prime-time games on Thursday in 2006, Denver is 9-6 in those games — not including the Week 1 Thursday-night games when the Broncos could adjust their schedule to have normal prep time.

AS FOR JERRY JEUDY … Hackett said that he had met with the third-year wide receiver after he was released on bond from custody at the Arapahoe County Justice Center following his Thursday arrest on charges of second-degree criminal tampering.

Hackett did not elaborate on whether Jeudy would face team discipline for the incident, which saw a domestic-violence tag added to it because it involved Jeudy’s significant other. According to the affidavit, Jeudy took the woman’s wallet, baby formula and documents regarding the baby they share and locked it in his car where she could not retrieve it.

“We’ll look into all that stuff and make sure we do the right stuff,”We’re here to support him and move on from this and get ready to get better on Monday.”

Jeudy’s arraignment on the misdemeanor charge is scheduled for May 31.

NOTES: Hackett said that there was not yet a plan formulated for joint practices at any point during the preseason. Last year, the Broncos took part in joint practices with the Minnesota Vikings in Eagan, Minn. prior to the teams’ preseason opener. Denver opens its preseason against Dallas at Empower Field at Mile High on Aug. 13 … Hackett said he has not decided whether to have his team practice in London in the days leading up to the Broncos’ Oct. 30 contest at Wembley Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars. “I’ve been lucky [that] I’ve gone to London, gosh, four times now. We left on Thursday,” he said, referring to his previous trips. “Everybody has done it a little bit different, and everybody’s won and lost doing it different ways. So I think for us, we’ll evaluate how we do it. We want to do what’s best for our team.”