The Denver Broncos helped the franchise get a head start on its search for its next head coach by laying a Christmas Day egg in a 51-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Nathaniel Hackett’s future likely was sealed before the embarrassing loss to the reeling Super Bowl champions on national television. But the complete meltdown on the field and on the Broncos’ sideline on Sunday prompted CEO Greg Penner to make the move official on Monday with two games remaining in the team’s disastrous 4-11 season.

Who will take over the job now becomes the burning question.

The Broncos’ have one of the league’s elite defenses, despite what transpired against the Rams. The problem is the offense, which is led by a 34-year-old quarterback enduring by far his worst NFL season.

Denver sent a significant package of players and draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson, then committed $245 million to him, but Wilson never looked comfortable in Hackett’s offense. So the immediate attention turns to who might be able to provide a better fit for Wilson and help the Broncos turn around what has devolved into the NFL’s lowest-scoring offense at 15.5 points per game.

Broncos’ Top 10 Coaching Candidates for 2023

1. Sean Payton, FOX Sports analyst and former Saints coach
The quick-twitch choice is Payton, who won a Super Bowl in New Orleans with a dynamic offense led by an undersized quarterback in Drew Brees.

Payton reportedly has assembled the majority of his staff with an eye on returning to the sideline next season. The big catch when it comes to Denver? Payton’s defensive coordinator pick is reportedly Vic Fangio, the Broncos’ former head coach who was fired after the 2021 season.

Payton is expected to be a leading candidate for several vacancies. The Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers already fired their head coaches and more openings are expected to follow as the regular season concludes.

2. DeMeco Ryans, 49ers defensive coordinator
The longtime NFL linebacker has established himself as one of the most respected coordinators in the league. Ryans replaced Robert Saleh, who took the New York Jets’ head coaching job in 2021, and San Francisco has clinched the NFC West title on the strength of the league’s top-rated defense.

Ryans would need to identify a strong offensive coordinator. He potentially could pluck from the 49ers’ staff to provide Wilson with a Kyle Shanahan-style scheme.

3. Shane Steichen, Eagles offensive coordinator
Philadelphia has the best record in the NFL thanks to what Denver is lacking — balance. In addition to the No. 2-ranked defense, the Eagles’ offense is led by MVP candidate Jalen Hurts.

Hurts is a dual threat, similar to what Wilson was in his earlier NFL years. Wilson has lost a step in his mid-30s, but perhaps Steichen can provide a scheme that better suits Wilson’s strengths and gets him on the move while getting the ball out quicker.

4. Kellen Moore, Cowboys offensive coordinator
Moore has been on the radar of NFL teams for the past few head coaching cycles. With defensive coordinator Dan Quinn another strong candidate to eventually take over for Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, now might be the time for Moore to finally move into a head coaching role elsewhere.

5. Dan Quinn, Cowboys defensive coordinator
Quinn was strongly considered by the Broncos last offseason. Granted, the ownership group has changed since then and made the massive financial commitment to Wilson.

However, Quinn does have previous NFL head coaching experience with Atlanta, taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl, and would have a strong list of offensive coordinators to consider.

6. Eric Bienemy, Chiefs offensive coordinator
The annual Bienemy watch begins again. He has been on the short list for numerous teams the past few years, but has yet to land a head coaching job. That’s in part because many credit the Chiefs’ offensive prowess to coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Could the Broncos finally be willing to give the former Colorado Buffaloes standout his shot while also plucking a highly respected coach from a division rival?

7. Brian Callahan, Bengals offensive coordinator
The Bengals are making another strong playoff push coming off last year’s Super Bowl appearance. It certainly helps to have an offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow and a bevy of playmakers.

Callahan has been credited with getting the most out of that group, and Denver does have a potentially elite receiving corps that includes Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy.

8. Frank Reich, former Colts coach
On one hand, Reich’s downfall in Indianapolis was predicated by multiple failed experiments to get the Colts “over the top” with veteran quarterbacks who didn’t pan out. On the other, Reich once turned Carson Wentz into an NFL MVP candidate in Philadelphia.

Reich is highly respected in NFL circles and might be an excellent fit for Denver after learning from his first head coaching experience in Indy.

9. Ben Johnson, Lions offensive coordinator
The Lions pulled themselves off the mat and rallied into the playoff conversation thanks to their offense. While Detroit’s defense ranks last in the NFL in allowing an average of 26.7 points per game, the offense is fourth overall and fifth in points scored.

Johnson, 36, has been an NFL assistant since breaking in with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. After a decade in various roles in Miami and Detroit, he took over the Lions’ offense this year and the results have opened many eyes around the league.

10. Mike Kafka, Giants offensive coordinator
Another first-year coordinator, Kafka was given the keys to the playcalling shortly before the season started under the tutelage of Giants coach Brian Daboll. A former journeyman NFL quarterback, Kafka has helped unlock Daniel Jones’ potential in New York and could be seen by Broncos management as the type of sparkplug Wilson needs.

One potentially significant drawback is that at 35, Kafka is only 16 months older than Wilson.

–Field Level Media

Carolina Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn is scheduled to undergo wrist surgery on Tuesday, leading the team to work out a familiar face to potentially fill his roster spot: Josh Norman.

Interim coach Steve Wilks said Monday that how long Horn, 23, will be out will be determined post-surgery. Horn injured his left wrist in the fourth quarter of the Panthers’ 37-23 win over the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the team confirmed that Norman — a former All-Pro with the Panthers — was at the team’s facility on Monday. Wilks said, depending on the workout, Norman could be added to the team in time to play Sunday in a crucial NFC South road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Norman, 35, played the 2021 season with the San Francisco 49ers. He started 14 games and forced a career-high seven fumbles.

Carolina selected Norman in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft and he spent four seasons with the Panthers, being named All-Pro in 2015. He signed a free agent deal with the Washington franchise in 2016, and followed his four seasons there with one season with the Buffalo Bills in 2020.

In 135 career games (109 starts), Norman has 489 tackles (13 for loss), 16 interceptions, 88 pass breakups, 20 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

Horn, a first-round draft pick in 2021, missed all but three games of his rookie season due to injury. In 13 games (all starts) this season, Horn has recorded 53 tackles with three interceptions and seven passes defensed.

The Panthers (6-9) trail the Buccaneers (7-8) for the NFC South title, but a win Sunday would put them in the driver’s seat. The Panthers beat the Buccaneers 21-3 on Oct. 23 and would move into first place in the division, having won the season series.

Carolina ends the season on Jan. 8 on the road against the New Orleans Saints, while the Bucs visit the Atlanta Falcons.

–Field Level Media

The NFL on Monday suspended Broncos defensive end Randy Gregory and Rams offensive lineman Oday Aboushi one game each without pay following their postgame fight Sunday in Inglewood, Calif.

Video replays showed Gregory, who took the first swing, and Aboushi exchanging punches immediately after Los Angeles wrapped up a 51-14 victory against Denver. Both players were still wearing their helmets at the time and neither appeared to get hurt.

The NFL punished them for violating league rules on unsportsmanlike conduct and unnecessary roughness.

Gregory, 30, is in his first season with the Broncos after playing parts of five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He missed the entire 2017 and 2019 seasons while serving suspensions for violations of the league’s substance abuse policy.

Aboushi, 31, is in his first season with the Rams following stints with the New York Jets (2014), Houston Texans (2015-16), Seattle Seahawks (2017), Arizona Cardinals (2018), Detroit Lions (2019-20) and Los Angeles Chargers (2021).

–Field Level Media

New York Jets quarterback Mike White, who missed the past two games with a rib injury, has been cleared to return and will start Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, head coach Robert Saleh said Monday.

Joe Flacco will be White’s backup and Zach Wilson will be inactive.

White hasn’t played since sustaining the injury in a 20-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 11.

In White’s absence, the Jets returned to Wilson in the past two games, the starter most of the season who was benched following a 10-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Nov. 20. He was incessantly booed by the home crowd on Thursday as the Jets lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars, 19-3.

Against Jacksonville, he was 9-of-18 passing for 92 yards and an interception. He also lost the Week 15 game against the Detroit Lions, 20-17.

On the season, the 27-year-old White is 1-2 as a starter. He has completed 62.0 percent of his passes for 952 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Wilson, 23, is 5-3 in the starting role this season and has completed 54.5 percent of his passes. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, he has thrown for 1,688 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Jets (7-8) remain in the AFC playoff hunt. After playing at Seattle, they close the season on Jan. 8 on the road against the Miami Dolphins, who also are fighting for a wild-card playoff berth.

–Field Level Media

The Los Angeles Chargers roll into Indianapolis for Monday Night Football knowing a victory clinches a playoff spot.

The Chargers (8-6) are riding a two-game winning streak and face a reeling Colts team coming off an historic 33-point collapse against Minnesota. The Colts (4-9-1) are without star running back Jonathan Taylor for the remainder of the season and are turning to Nick Foles, who will be their third starting quarterback this year.

Indianapolis has lost four consecutive games following an opening win for interim coach Jeff Saturday and has been eliminated from playoff contention.

The Chargers opened as 4.5-point favorites at BetMGM, but the line has moved to 3.0 with the Colts drawing 81 percent of the spread-line action. The 4.0-point line at DraftKings has seen the Chargers backed by 77 percent of the spread bets and 67 percent of the handle.

“Indianapolis was up 33-0 last week in an NFL game,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said. “That’s very difficult to do. The reason why they were is because they have a lot of good players and they have a lot of good coaches.”

PROP PICKS
Chargers RB Austin Ekeler Anytime TD (+450 at DraftKings): Ekeler has been the most popular prop play at both sportsbooks for good reason. He has 14 total touchdowns on the season, including at least one in nine of his past 11 games. His odds to score Monday night have a slightly smaller payout at BetMGM (+400). The Colts are allowing 123.7 yards per game on the ground and enter the game 25th in the NFL in giving up an average of 24.1 points.

Colts WR Parris Campbell Under 38.5 Receiving Yards (-115 at BetMGM): This has been the third most popular player prop at the sportsbook. Campbell has topped this mark in seven of his 14 games this season but is averaging only 4.3 targets over his past four games. What his role in the passing game is with Foles under center remains to be seen, but he’s fighting for targets behind Michael Pittman along with rookie Alec Pierce.

Over 44.5 Total Points (-100 at BetMGM/DraftKings): The total has been shifting downward all week, opening at 47.5 points at BetMGM, where 57 percent of the bets and 61 percent of the money has backed the Under. The action has been more split at DraftKings with the money 50/50 and the Over drawing 56 percent of the bets. The Chargers enter 21st in total defense and are just below the Colts in points allowed per game at 24.3.

INJURY REPORT
Chargers: S Derwin James (quad) is expected to return after missing the past two games, but DE Joey Bosa (groin) does not appear ready yet. DB Kemon Hall (hamstring) is officially out.

Colts: Taylor (ankle) is out along with CB Kenny Moore II (leg) and TE Kylen Granson (ankle). CB Brandon Facyson (illness) and WR Mike Strachan (concussion) are slated to play.

PREDICTION
Foles is accustomed to the relief role, having guided Philadelphia to a Super Bowl title after replacing an injured Carson Wentz in Week 14 in 2017. He could provide a steadying influence to the Colts’ lackluster offense, but he can’t fix the offensive line or running game woes. The Chargers are peaking at the right time and will be highly motivated to lock up a playoff spot before the New Year. — Chargers 27, Colts 20

–Field Level Media