Tag: Brandon McManus

15 takeaways from the Broncos’ first season under Sean Payton

Here are 15 quick takeaways from Sean Payton’s first season with the Broncos.

After starting 4-11 last season, the Denver Broncos fired first-time head coach Nathaniel Hackett with two games remaining. Jerry Rosburg then took over on an interim basis and the club split their final two games to finish the year with a 5-12 record.

After firing Hackett, the Broncos’ new ownership group wanted to go big, so they agreed to trade first- and second-round draft picks to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a third-round pick and the rights to head coach Sean Payton last January.

While Denver did not qualify for the playoffs, the team did take a step forward in Year 1 under Payton, improving from 5-12 in 2022 to 8-9 in 2023. That marked the team’s best record since 2017. The next step is posting a winning record and qualifying for the postseason in 2024.

So, what did we learn from Payton’s first season in Denver? Here are 15 quick takeaways from the Broncos’ 2023 season.

5 best Jaguars player prop bets for Week 18

With Trevor Lawrence and Zay Jones officially active, here are five prop bet picks for Sunday.

Player prop bets have been hard to come by for the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Week 18 game against the Tennessee Titans.

With Trevor Lawrence, Christian Kirk, and Zay Jones all listed as questionable, oddsmakers held off on setting totals. With Lawrence and Jones announced as active, and Kirk held out, the props finally rolled in.

Even Titans props were few and far between for much of he week with the status of rookie quarterback Will Levis in doubt. On Friday, Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel announced Ryan Tannehill will get the start.

If you’re looking to get in on the action this week with some player prop bets, we’ve got you covered with a handful of wagers to make on the Jaguars. The following prop bets are available on BetMGM, with the listed odds last updated at the time of publication.

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5 Jaguars players to watch vs the Titans in Week 18

The Jaguars offense is finally starting to get healthy again.

The Jacksonville Jaguars aren’t completely out of the woods, but fans can breathe again. The team ended its four-game losing streak in Week 17, beating the Panthers in a 26-point shutout.

The Jaguars have now guaranteed themselves a winning record, but a win could move the Jaguars to 10-7 and clinch the AFC South title.

Tennessee is in a different place than it was last time the teams met, and a few key Jaguars will need to be at the top of their game to secure another win for Jacksonville.

Here are five Jaguars players to watch against the Titans in Week 18:

Wil Lutz is one field goal away from tying Jason Elam’s franchise record

With one more field goal, Broncos kicker Wil Lutz will tie a single-season franchise record held by Jason Elam (31).

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made a surprising move this spring when he released veteran kicker Brandon McManus and replaced him with Wil Lutz.

In hindsight, it looks like Payton made the right decision.

Lutz has converted 88.2% of his field goal attempts this season, better than McManus (80.0%) with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lutz also has a cheaper contract — switching from McManus to Lutz saved Denver $2.05 million.

“I think he’s doing well,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of Lutz on Dec. 1. “He’s made some big kicks for us, and he’s been in some big spots … I think he’s doing a good job and I’m glad we have him.”

After a shaky start in Week 1, Payton said Lutz would bounce back, and the coach was right.

The 29-year-old kicker is just one field goal away from tying Jason Elam’s franchise record of 31 field goals in a single season (Brandon McManus and Matt Prater both converted 30 field goals in a single season).

Elam made 31 field goals in two different seasons (1995 and 2001) and to be fair to history, Elam did that during the 16-game era. Still, even with an extra game, Lutz’s numbers are impressive. Two field goals on Sunday would break Elam’s record.

Lutz has also had 88.5% of his kickoffs go for touchbacks this season, seventh-most in the NFL. McManus (75.6%) ranks 23rd.

McManus was one of the best kickers in franchise history and a key member of Denver’s Super Bowl 50 team, but Payton made the right move to switch to Lutz this offseason.

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Jaguars bring in kicker Matthew Wright for tryout

The Jaguars brought in a familiar face for a tryout after Brandon McManus missed five of his last six field goals.

The Jacksonville Jaguars brought in kicker Matthew Wright for a tryout Tuesday, according to the NFL’s transactions wire.

Wright, 27, spent the 2021 season with the Jaguars, making 21 of his 24 field goal attempts and 13 of his 15 extra point tries. That included 54- and 53-yard field goals in the last four minutes of a game against the Miami Dolphins to end Jacksonville’s 20-game losing streak.

The kicker spent time with the Steelers and Lions prior to joining the Jaguars and has been on six different rosters since he was cut by the team in May 2022.

Wright hasn’t played in a game this season, but finished the 2022 season 15 of 18 on field goals and 15 of 15 on extra points in stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and Steelers.

Earlier this year, the Jaguars parted with kicker Riley Patterson after acquiring former Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus. After hitting 23 of his first 25 field goals this season, McManus has missed five of his last six.

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Studs and duds in Jaguars’ 23-7 loss vs. Ravens

Which Jaguars players stood out most to you Sunday night?

The Jacksonville Jaguars fell to 8-6 on Sunday night when the Baltimore Ravens handed them a third consecutive loss.

It was an all too familiar formula that doomed the Jaguars in the 23-7 loss. Despite finding 333 yards of offense, Jacksonville’s only points came on one 65-yard touchdown.

The Jaguars drove inside the Ravens’ 40-yard line five times and the red zone three times, but somehow finished with zero points to show for it. Quarterback Trevor Lawrence fumbled away one of those possessions, made a crucial error that ran out the clock on another, and turned the ball over on downs late in the fourth quarter. The other two were missed field goals.

Jacksonville had its opportunities and simply didn’t come nearly close enough to capitalizing on them. Here are the players who struggled most Sunday as well as those who stood out in the losing effort:

7 Jaguars are top 10 at their position in early Pro Bowl voting

Which Jaguars players are you hoping to see in the 2024 Pro Bowl Games?

After just over a week of Pro Bowl Games voting, there are seven Jacksonville Jaguars players in the top 10 at their position.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweeted the full list of voting leaders as of noon Tuesday, eight days after the polling opened Monday, Nov. 27. Voting will continue until Dec. 25.

While there are seven Jaguars in the mix with just under three weeks left, the public vote counts for just a portion of the eventual tally. The votes of fans, players, and coaches each count for a third to determine the final rosters.

Here are the seven who are currently top 10 vote-getters:

Bengals, Jaguars head to overtime as teams trade field goals in 4th quarter.

The Bengals and Jaguars went to overtime as each team kicked a field goal late in the fourth quarter

Evan McPherson wasn’t a good judge of his 54-yard field-goal attempt. The Cincinnati Bengals have to be glad for that.

McPherson’s kick was good but the reaction of the Bengals’ kicker was not.

The Jaguars came down the field and got a 40-yard field goal from Brandon McManus to tie the game at 31 and send it to OT.

Broncos kicker Lutz named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Congrats to Broncos kicker Wil Lutz for being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month!

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November on Thursday.

In the month of November, Lutz was clutch, as the Broncos won two games by three points or less. Lutz finished the month 11-of-11 on field goals, and 3-of-4 on extra points.

After their bye week, the Broncos built on their then-two-game win streak with a walk-off field goal against the Buffalo Bills. If Buffalo didn’t have too many men on the field, Lutz may not have won this award this month. Initially, Lutz missed a 41-yard field goal, but a Bills penalty moved the ball five yards forward, and Lutz drilled the make-up kick.

Lutz becomes the Denver first player to win a Special Teams Player of the Month award since kicker Brandon McManus won the award as a Bronco in 2015.

Ironically, Lutz, who replaced McManus as the Broncos’ kicker at the beginning of the year, succeeds McManus as the AFC Special Team Player of the Month. Lutz hopes to continue his hot leg against the Houston Texans this week.

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Brandon McManus named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Brandon McManus made all 12 of his field goals, including four from 50+ during a perfect October.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors for October, the NFL announced Thursday.

McManus, 32, finished the month a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals and 12-for-12 on extra points. The miss-free October included plenty of tough kicks too with McManus making four field goals from at least 50 yards. He also earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making three field goals against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.

The Jaguars signed McManus in May after he was surprisingly released by the Denver Broncos. When he became a free agent, McManus gave the Jaguars a call to see if they’d be interested in his services despite already having Riley Patterson on the roster. Jacksonville made the swap and it has paid dividends with McManus rarely missing in his first eight games with the team.

McManus is only the third Jaguars player to ever earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors along with return specialist Jamal Agnew (September 2021) and punter Chris Hanson (September 2005). He’s the first Jaguars kicker to ever win the award.

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