Tag: Broncos news

Ex-Broncos players defend Alex Forsyth’s field goal protection

“A lot of these clips look more normal than you would think,” Tyler Polumbus said of Alex Forsyth falling down in field goal protection.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos with a last-second field goal block on Sunday, securing a 16-14 victory.

Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth has taken the brunt of the blame for the block because the Chiefs identified that he was “light on his toes” and susceptible to a bull rush.

Following the loss, film junkies noted that Forsyth had been knocked down on eight of the team’s last ten kicks, making it appear that he was an obvious weakness in the field goal unit’s protection.

Forsyth’s apparent struggles, however, might be overblown.

Two former Denver players — offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus and tight end Joel Dreessen — came to the defense of Forsyth on Twitter/X.

“It’s not normal how often he gets knocked down but you get knocked on your ass often,” Polumbus tweeted. “You have to take on 3 guys at once playing TE on FG block. You stick your arms out like an Iron Cross get your pads low and pray to God you fall slow enough that nothing bad happens. A lot of these clips look more normal than you would think.”

Forsyth is the “tight end” in field goal protection and it’s not uncommon (and not necessarily discouraged) if the player in his position falls backward. The key is to fall slowly and to cause a pileup, not allowing rushers to break through the line.

The problem with Forsyth’s fall was that he fell so quickly and straight to the ground, allowing rushers to quickly jump over him and block the kick. The lineman should have been more “stout” (something he admitted), but the outrage over his frequent falling is perhaps a bit overblown.

Broncos coach Sean Payton also came to Forsyth’s defense on Monday.

“This isn’t on the player,” Payton said. “This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches. We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming.”

Denver is now set to host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11. A big storyline this week will be (a) is Forsyth still on the kick protection team and (b) if he is, does he hold up better in protection against the Falcons? We’ll find out Sunday.

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Twitter can’t believe yet another missed call from Broncos-Chiefs game

The Chiefs got away with blatant penalties against the Broncos on Sunday. The NFL has to do something about the officiating.

The Kansas City Chiefs benefited from some questionable officiating in their 16-14 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The most egregious case was a phantom illegal contact foul called against Broncos safety Brandon Jones in the second quarter. That penalty kept a Chiefs drive alive and was at least a four-point swing.

That certainly wasn’t the only questionable decision from the officiating crew.

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger took to Twitter/X on Monday to show Kansas City’s offensive line getting away with an obvious hold.

“I don’t know, it’s getting like a little ridiculous right here,” Baldinger says as he shows Broncos defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers blatantly held by Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor. “I’ll just leave the commentary to you. All right, they got the sack … but, I mean, I guess they’re just not gonna throw the flags.”

Fans, pundits and even former players have weighed in on the missed calls (and bad calls) from Sunday’s game.

Sayre Bedinger of Predominantly Orange summed it up well — it’s not that we believe there’s a grand conspiracy. Fans are simply tired of inconsistent officiating and Kansas City seemingly getting preferential treatment and the benefit of the doubt every week. It’s a recurring issue, and NFL fans are sick of it.

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Ex-Broncos DC Jack Del Rio arrested for OWI

Jack Del Rio was arrested for operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

Former Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, 61, was arrested last Friday for operating a vehicle while intoxicated, it was reported on Monday. Del Rio ran into a street sign and broke a fence, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg.

Del Rio was a defensive coordinator in Denver from 2012-14, under head coach John Fox, before becoming a head coach in Oakland and Washington.

Prior to his arrest, Del Rio was a senior advisor to University of Wisconsin head coach Luke Fickell. After his arrest, Del Rio resigned his post, according to ESPN.

“I’m grateful to Coach Fickell and the University of Wisconsin for the opportunity to work with such a talented coaching and support staff and some of the best young football players in the country,” Del Rio said in a statement Monday. “I have decided to step away from my position with the team, so they can focus all their attention on the remainder of the season.”

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Falcons sign cornerback who had brief stint with Broncos

The Falcons signed ex-Broncos cornerback Lamar Jackson to their practice squad ahead of Sunday’s game in Denver.

The Atlanta Falcons are signing a former Denver Broncos cornerback to their practice squad ahead of their game in Denver this week.

Atlanta has signed cornerback Lamar Jackson (not to be confused with the quarterback Lamar Jackson), via Matt Urben of Falcons Wire. It’s probably not a signing made to gain intel on their opponent because Jackson hasn’t played with the Broncos since 2022, and the team’s staff and scheme have changed over the last two years.

Jackson, 26, initially joined Denver’s practice squad in 2022 before later being promoted to the active roster. He dressed for three games with the Broncos and totaled three tackles. Jackson has recorded 31 tackles and four pass breakups in 23 career games (six starts) in the NFL.

Elsewhere on the ex-Bronco front, the New Orleans Saints released offensive lineman Connor McGovern on Monday, and the Miami Dolphins activated wide receiver River Cracraft from injured reserve. McGovern (2016-2019) and Cracraft (2017-2019) started their NFL careers in Denver.

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The All-22 angle of the Brandon Jones ‘penalty’ is outrageous

That’s it?!? Such an absolutely terrible call from the referee.

The Kansas City Chiefs were given a gift in the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos.

After Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was sacked by Broncos pass rusher Nik Bonitto for an 11-yard loss on third down, Kansas City would have been looking at a very long field goal attempt (or, perhaps more likely, a punt) if not for a controversial penalty.

Denver safety Brandon Jones was penalized for illegal contact, giving the Chiefs an automatic first down. Instead of fourth-and-20 from the 44-yard line, Kansas City was given a first down at the 28-yard line.

The Chiefs went on to score a touchdown and the penalty sparked outrage from both fans and pundits on social media. In a game that ended up being decided by just two points, that seven-point swing was crucial.

The All-22 film became available on Monday and the call remains questionable at best. Jones is the safety in the top middle of the screen wearing No. 22:

It was minimal contact, the kind of routine coverage that happens on many plays without flags.

The Broncos had chances to win the game later, and blaming the officials won’t change the outcome of the game, but that was a blatantly bad call.

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Broncos coach Sean Payton takes blame for blocked field goal: ‘This isn’t on the player’

“This isn’t on the player,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said of the blocked field goal. “This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches.”

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Denver Broncos on Sunday by blocking a field goal attempt on the final play of the game.

Earlier in the game, the Chiefs had identified that Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth was “light on his toes” and susceptible to a bull rush. With the game on the line, Kansas City put extra players on Forsyth’s side and broke through to block the kick, securing a 16-14 win.

Forsyth was also knocked off his feet on eight of the team’s last ten kicks, as was astutely pointed out by Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com. That was a trend that Denver’s coaching staff should have noticed and corrected, and coach Sean Payton knows it.

“I read all the comments afterwards, and I think that it’s tough to lose a game that way,” Payton said during his conference call with reporters on Monday. “This isn’t on the player. This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches. We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming. It’s disappointing, and yet it’s not something that’s new when a big play is made at the end of a game.”

Following Sunday’s loss, the Broncos are now 5-5 with seven games remaining.

“This team has been resilient,” Payton said. “The sky isn’t falling relative to our season and the schedule.”

Denver will aim to bounce back when the Atlanta Falcons (6-4) visit Empower Field at Mile High in Week 11.

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What did Patrick Mahomes tell Bo Nix after Chiefs beat Broncos?

Patrick Mahomes had an extremely positive message for Bo Nix after the Chiefs beat the Broncos on Sunday.

Game recognizes game.

The Kansas City Chiefs (9-0) stayed perfect on Sunday with a 16-14 victory over the Denver Broncos (5-5). The Broncos were a real challenge for the defending Super Bowl champions, and it took a last-second blocked field goal for the Chiefs to pull off the victory.

After the game, KCNC-TV cameras picked up audio from veteran quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ post-game exchange with rookie Bo Nix.

“Hey, way to play your ass off,” Kansas City’s star told his Denver counterpart. “Keep leading those dudes. It’s just the first one, baby, we have a lot of these things.”

It was a respectful, encouraging message from the two-time NFL MVP.

One could argue that Nix played better than Mahomes on Sunday. The rookie completed 73.3% of his passes for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no turnovers. Mahomes posted a 66.7% completion rate for 266 yards with one touchdown and no turnovers. Nix was sacked twice and Mahomes was sacked four times.

Nix drove the Broncos down the field and set them up for what could have been a game-winning field goal at the end, but the block spoiled what would have been a huge upset victory for Denver.

Nix and Mahomes will face off again when the Broncos host the Chiefs in their regular season finale in Week 18.

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What we know about NFL ref meeting with Taylor Swift before Broncos-Chiefs game

A referee “briefly met with Taylor Swift” before the Broncos-Chiefs game on Sunday, according to KSNT 27 Sports.

During the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, NFL aggregation accounts on Twitter/X started sharing a story that essentially said, “NFL referee Sarah Thomas met with Taylor Swift before the game and FaceTimed her family during the meeting.”

If true, that’s not a good look because Swift, of course, is dating Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, and Thomas was working the Broncos-Chiefs game on Sunday. The story might have been a bit exaggerated, though.

First, note that NFL officials are commonly all lumped into the “referee” category even though there’s technically only one “referee” on the crew, the lead official. Technically, Thomas is a “down judge,” but colloquially, fans dub them all referees.

Second, the accounts all linked back to KSNT 27 News. That’s a legitimate news station in Northeast Kansas, but they did not write a story on Swift’s exchange with Thomas. All the hoopla linked back to one tweet from Landon Reinhardt, who works for the station.

“Sarah Thomas, the down judge (ref) for today’s Chiefs/Broncos game, briefly met with Taylor Swift before the game,” Reinhardt tweeted on Sunday. “She was on FaceTime with family and I heard her say, ‘Did you get that screenshot?'”

While perhaps not the best look (especially when the Chiefs continue to get questionable calls), that exchange seems pretty innocent. It could have been as simple as Thomas being on the phone with her family in the stadium before the game and Swift happening to walk by. It’s not unusual to say hello to a celebrity, even when you’re an NFL official.

The ordeal seems to be overblown, but Broncos Wire has asked the NFL if they have a comment on the meeting. We are waiting for a response.

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5 takeaways from the Broncos’ 16-14 loss to Chiefs in Week 10

The sky is not falling. Here are five quick takeaways from the Broncos’ loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

The Denver Broncos fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 16-14 on Sunday after their last-second field goal attempt was blocked. Here are five quick takeaways from the loss.

1. Audric Estime in, Javonte Williams out: Hopefully fantasy football managers listened when coach Sean Payton hinted last week that Estime would be more involved in the second half of the season. Estime dominated the team’s backfield on Sunday with 14 carries for 53 yards. Jaleel McLaughlin mixed in with two carries for 12 yards and even wide receiver Marvin Mims got three carries for 17 yards. Williams only received one carry (for one yard) and just two targets as a receiver out of the backfield. Estime might be the new RB1 going forward.

2. Bad officiating did not cost Denver the game: Yes, there were some questionable calls on Sunday, but the Broncos can’t blame the officials for the loss (more on that in a moment). KC’s formation on the field goal block was legal, and Denver squandered opportunities to win the game in the second half. Blame for the loss falls on the Broncos, not the referee.

3. Denver’s offense disappeared in the second half: After taking a 14-10 lead into halftime, the Broncos’ offense proved to be mostly ineffective until the final drive of the game. Denver’s defense continued to hold up, allowing just two field goals, but the offense didn’t do its part.

4. Alex Forsyth cost the Broncos the game: Listen, this is not a green light to harass players on social media, which is never acceptable. But there’s accountability in professional sports, and players are spotlighted for mistakes (in a professional manner). The Chiefs identified Forsyth as a weak link on kicks earlier in the game, noting that he was too light on his toes and susceptible to a bull rush. KC exploited that on the final play of the game and drove Forsyth back to block the field goal attempt. Forsyth accepted blame after the game, and he’ll probably never make that mistake again.

5. Denver is oh-so-close: After the game, Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix said, “I feel like we’re right there, just have to get over that hump.” He’s right. The good news is that Denver just went toe-to-toe with the NFL’s only remaining undefeated team, the defending Super Bowl champions. The bad news is that the Broncos weren’t able to complete the game. “It really played out exactly how we wanted it to, like exactly with the ball, the clock, in complete control of everything,” Payton said. “We just couldn’t finish it.” If the Broncos get over the hump that Nix referenced, they will be a legitimate playoff contender this fall. And they’ll see KC again when the Chiefs visit Empower Field at Mile High in Week 18. Denver was knocked down on Sunday, but the Broncos weren’t knocked out. There’s a lot of football left to play.

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Kevin Harlan: Broncos had Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels ranked as top QBs in NFL draft

Kevin Harlan said during Sunday’s broadcast that Broncos coach Sean Payton had Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels ranked as the top QBs in the draft.

In the second quarter of Sunday’s game between the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs, CBS play-by-play commentator Kevin Harlan dropped a doozy of a nugget from the pre-draft process.

Harlan relayed that Broncos coach Sean Payton told them he knew quarterback Bo Nix was “his guy” after 15 passes at a private workout this spring. That’s not new information; Payton has said as much in the past.

But this is new information — Harlan said Denver had “[Nix] and [Jayden] Daniels rated one-two and in no particular order.”

If true, that means the Broncos had Nix ranked higher than both Caleb Williams and Drake Maye on their big board this spring.

Harlan’s info straight from Payton contradicts a KOA Radio report from this spring that said Denver had Nix ranked as QB3 behind Williams and Daniels. Somebody’s lying, and it’s impossible to know who.

Nix and Daniels have certainly looked sharp this fall, scoring 14 and 13 touchdowns, respectively, through the first ten weeks of the season.

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