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Striking Gold: Broncos banking on Nathaniel Hackett, Russell Wilson to improve woeful red (or gold) zone offense

Slugging it out with the Cincinnati Bengals last December, the Broncos and fill-in quarterback Drew Lock had chipped their way down to the 9-yard line, looking to score the go-ahead touchdown with 11 minutes remaining.

A win and the Broncos would be 8-6 and their playoff hopes very much alive.

But on a second-down play Lock tried to evade Bengals defensive lineman Khalid Kareem. Instead, he fumbled and Cincinnati recovered the game-changing takeaway. The Broncos lost 15-10, the start of a four-game losing streak to end the season which triggered sweeping changes.

The play — and empty red zone possession — was emblematic of the Broncos’ failings inside the 20-yard line during their six-year playoff drought.