Tag: Brandon McManus

Peyton Manning, Brandon McManus react to Brett Maher’s four missed PATs

“You’ve got to be kidding me! Why are we kicking it? Why are we kicking it?” 

Dallas Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed four-straight extra-point attempts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday evening, leaving coaches, players, fans and pundits flabbergasted.

After the kicker’s third miss, Peyton Manning stood up during the ManningCast and vented, “You’ve got to be kidding me! Why are we kicking it? Why are we kicking it?”

Manning went on to quip, “Can you cut a guy at halftime of a playoff game?”

Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus chimed in on Twitter with a mind-blown emoji.

In a later tweet, McManus said Dallas’ holder should have changed the location of the kick to the middle of the field or the left hashmark to change Maher’s vantage point after consecutive misses.

Fortunately for the Cowboys, Maher’s nightmare night did not end up costing them the game. The 33-year-old kicker later converted a fifth PAT attempt and Dallas ultimately went on to win 31-14.

The Cowboys have said they will stick with Maher going forward.

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10 takeaways from the Broncos’ 2022 season

Here are ten takeaways from the Broncos’ 2022 season.

The Denver Broncos wrapped up the 2022 season on Sunday with a 5-12 record, marking the second-straight year the team has finished in last place in the AFC West and the seventh-straight year Denver has missed the playoffs.

After a sixth-straight losing season, the Broncos plan to make big changes this offseason, most notably by bringing in a new head coach. Before we completely turn our attention toward the future, though, we’re taking a quick look back at the 2022 season.

There were a few bright spots, but it was mostly a forgettable year for Denver. Here are ten takeaways from the Broncos’ season.

Broncos pranked players with fake ‘ugly sweater’ jerseys

No, the Broncos are not going to wear ‘ugly sweater’ jerseys on Christmas 😅

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The Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams are set to face off on Christmas Day, and the teams had a little fun beforehand.

In past years, the NBA has traditionally done Christmas-themed jerseys, but the NFL has not.

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus and Rams safety Nick Scott teamed up with CBS Sports to prank teammates with fake “ugly sweater” Christmas jerseys ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Denver jerseys notably had reindeer on the helmet in place of the regular logo, as well as orange and blue snowflakes and trees along the collarbone area of the uniforms.

On the other hand, the Rams had Christmas lights on their helmets where the horns usually are.

Not all players fell for it — Brett Rypien quickly found the hidden camera — but many did. Check out their reactions:

And some Rams footage for good measure:

Sunday’s game will be nationally televised on CBS and Nickelodeon. Thankfully for Broncos and Rams players, both teams will be wearing their normal uniforms.

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Broncos kicker Brandon McManus ranks 31st in FG percentage this season

Are you worried about Broncos kicker Brandon McManus?

Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus has converted 24-of-32 field goal attempts this season. That’s a conversion percentage of 75%, which ranks 31st in the NFL, only above Cade York (73.3%) and Chris Boswell (72.2%).

To be fair to McManus, it should be noted that five of his misses have been from 50-plus yards. If those five kicks are taken off the board, his percentage would obviously be much higher.

It is concerning, though, that McManus has two misses between 30-39 yards and one miss between 20-29 yards this season. McManus has also missed a pair of extra-point attempts, which are the equivalent of a 33-yard field goal.

McManus went 1-of-2 on field goal attempts on Sunday, converting a 52-yarder before later missing a 38-yard attempt. The kicker expressed his frustration on Twitter about the miss after an eventual 24-15 win.

McManus has been a good kicker for the Broncos for nine years, and he was clutch during the team’s Super Bowl run in 2015. If he continues ranking near the bottom of the league, though, Denver’s front office might consider bringing in some competition for McManus this offseason.

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Studs and duds from Broncos’ 24-15 win over Cardinals

Studs from the Broncos’ 24-15 win over the Cardinals include Justin Simmons and Brett Rypien. Did we miss anyone?

The Denver Broncos found a way to win against the Arizona Cardinals, getting their fourth victory of the season 24-15 on Sunday afternoon.

We take a look at some of the studs and duds from the big win.

Studs and duds from Broncos 10-9 breakdown vs. Ravens

Oops, the Broncos did it again! This time, it was at the hands of the Ravens, a 10-9 back-breaker.

Broncos Country, let’s hide. For 59 minutes and 31 seconds, the Denver Broncos were in position to beat the AFC North-leading Baltimore Ravens. In a matter of seconds, Denver found yet another way to lose. We take a look at the studs and duds from the Broncos’ ninth loss of the season.

Broncos fall to Ravens 10-9 after ugly defensive struggle

Tyler Huntley replaced an injured Lamar Jackson on Sunday and led the Ravens to a win over the Broncos.

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The Denver Broncos lost to the Baltimore Ravens 10-9 on the road in an ugly defensive battle in Week 13.

Broncos kicker Brandon McManus converted 52- and 41-yard field goals in the first half to give Denver a 6-3 lead over Baltimore at halftime.

The Ravens’ first score of the game came in the second quarter after quarterback Lamar Jackson left the game with a knee injury. Tyler Huntley replaced Jackson in the second quarter and led a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended in a 26-yard Justin Tucker field goal to give Baltimore three points.

In the second half, pressure from Broncos pass rusher Jonathon Cooper forced a Huntley interception thrown to safety Justin Simmons. That turnover led to a third McManus field goal — this one a 50-yarder — to extend Denver’s lead to 9-3.

Simmons later intercepted another pass when the Ravens ran a trick play in the fourth quarter on an end-around pass thrown by receiver James Proche. The Broncos weren’t able to score after that turnover, but it stopped a Baltimore drive and helped Denver eat up about three minutes of game clock.

The Broncos ultimately left too much time on the clock as Huntley later led a 16-play, 91-yard drive that ended with his two-yard touchdown run that gave Baltimore a 10-9 lead late in the game.

Denver had enough time to get into range for a 63-yard field goal attempt, but McManus’ kick fell short, ending the game with a 10-9 loss.

Up next for Denver is a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 14. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football but was flexed to the afternoon slot last week.

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Broncos vs. Panthers series history: Denver leads 6-1 since 1997

The #Broncos lead the all-time series against the #Panthers 6-1, including a 24-10 victory in #SB50.

After one-score losses to the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans in back-to-back weeks, the Denver Broncos will look to bounce back against the Carolina Panthers in Week 12.

During the all-time series, the Broncos hold a commanding 6-1 lead over the Panthers. Both teams head into Sunday’s matchup with abysmal records (3-7 and 3-8), and Carolina fired their head coach earlier in the 2022 season.

The last time these two teams played was during the 2020 season. Denver quarterback Drew Lock had one of his best games as a pro, going 21-of-27 passing for 280 yards and four touchdowns in a 32-27 Broncos win. KJ Hamler caught two touchdowns and the Denver defense held off a Teddy Bridgewater-led Panthers charge to preserve the victory.

Of course, the most memorable game between these two teams was Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco. The “No-Fly Zone” defense smothered former Carolina quarterback Cam Newton, with then-Broncos linebacker Von Miller forcing two sack-fumbles and eventually winning the game’s MVP award. Current Denver kicker Brandon McManus is the only remaining player from that special team left with the franchise.

Since that time, both teams have been looking for signs of life. In the years following the 2015 title game, Denver has failed to win more than 10 games, desperately seeking a franchise quarterback to follow in the footsteps of Peyton Manning. Meanwhile, the Panthers have only made one other playoff appearance in that time (2017).

My, how those times have changed.

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Studs and duds from Broncos’ 22-16 overtime loss to Raiders

A few standouts, but a mostly underwhelming performance for the Broncos in Week 11.

The Denver Broncos found yet another way to lose a game this season, this time dropping their second straight against the Las Vegas Raiders. We examine five studs and duds from the loss.

Brandon McManus joins NFL players calling for league to abandon turf for grass

NFL players — including Broncos kicker Brandon McManus — want the league to ban turf fields in favor of natural grass.

Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus has joined a growing group of NFL players who turned to Twitter in recent days to call for the league to abandon turf fields in favor of natural grass surfaces.

The Broncos play on grass at Empower Field at Mile High, but they will play on multiple turf fields in road games this season.

McManus pointed out on Twitter on Saturday that NFL stadiums with turf will convert to grass fields for the World Cup in 2026.

“When the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to the US, our NFL stadiums with turf will convert to grass. Why? Because grass is a much safer playing surface,” the kicker tweeted. “But for us, their own players, they want us to compete on inferior surfaces.”

NFLPA president JC Tretter wrote an article over the weekend calling for the league to immediately replace and ban all slit film turf surfaces, and dozens of players joined McManus in tweeted about #SaferFields.