Late in Monday’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Denver Broncos found themselves down by one point with the ball in their hands.
Before their final drive, kicker Brandon McManus had told coach Nathaniel Hackett that he could make a 64-yard kick from the left hash mark.
As the Broncos approached midfield with just over one minute remaining in the game, Hackett called a play that he believed would make a fourth-down more manageable, but he didn’t think the play would get the team within field goal range.
On third down, though, running back Javonte Williams gained nine yards and put Denver within range of a 64-yard field goal attempt.
“I was expecting to have to go for it on that down and distance because I believe we were about third and 14, third and 15,” Hackett explained after the game. “[Then] I thought Javonte made an incredible play and put us in the field goal range, the mark we were looking for.”
Facing a fourth-and-five, Hackett decided to let McManus attempt the long field goal instead of giving quarterback Russell Wilson an opportunity to try to pick up a first down and keep the drive alive for a shorter field goal.
McManus had the distance on his kick, but it hooked left and the Broncos lost 17-16 in heartbreaking fashion.
“Brandon gave it his best shot,” Hackett said. “That’s a long field goal to hit. I think he’s capable of that, but obviously I wish we would’ve got a lot closer. It put us in that weird spot there because we were in the field goal range but we were on that fourth down situation. Didn’t think we were going to get that many yards, so I thought it was a great job by Javonte. We just made the decision we wanted to take or shot there on that one.”
After the game, McManus accepted the blame for the defeat.
“I told them the 46 left hash, and they got me exactly there,” the kicker said. “They had the faith in me. I’ve just got to make that kick.”
Hackett indicated that if he’s ever put in that situation again, he’d still attempt a field goal.
“I thought he had plenty of distance on that one and just thought that we were going to be able to make that,” the coach said. “I have confidence in him, and if we have to put him in that situation again, I think he’ll be able to make it.”
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