The Broncos had to be confident in Brandon McManus as he lined up for a 45-yard game-winning attempt against the Bengals. He'd hit all 20 field goals he'd attempted from 45 yards and in this year, and both lead-changing attempts he'd taken in the fourth-quarter or OT. Once they got into his range, they stopped running offense, and ran the clock so McManus could nail a kick as the clock hit zeroes. A make and they'd clinch a playoff spot!
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus missed a playoff-clinching field goal by, oh, 20 yards
Luckily, he redeemed himself.
They shouldn’t have been so confident:
That’s a straight-up shank, and just about the the worst you’ll ever see from a quality NFL kicker. The Broncos intentionally moved the ball to the right hashmark before the kick to play to McManus’ preferences, but they would’ve needed to move the ball all the way to the right sideline for this one to have had a shot.
The miss sent the game to overtime tied at 17, but McManus drilled a 37-yarder in overtime that turned out to be a game-winner.
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