Tag: Wil Lutz

Blake Grupe has already made Saints history in Year 2

Blake Grupe has been sharp from long range since entering the league. He’s the only Saints kicker to hit this impressive milestone:

Blake Grupe’s performance this year has flown under the radar. Not only has the second year player been a more accurate kicker than he was his rookie season, Grupe has also shown good range in 2024.

This may feel hyperbolic, but Grupe has literally made history in his first two seasons. In his first year, he was the first kicker in New Orleans Saints history to make five or more field goals from at least 50 yards in a season, with six of them on nine tries. He’s done it again in Year 2, going five-for-five.

It’s extremely impressive because Morten Andersen and Wil Lutz are former Saints with strong resumes, but neither of them hit this one particular milestone. Grupe has done it twice.

To add to this feat, the kicker hasn’t missed from 50-plus all season long.

Let’s take a deep breath and hope the writer’s jinx doesn’t come into play against the New York Giants.

Grupe’s year has been defined by efficiency and range. He’s delivered both simultaneously on five different occasions. He opened the season with a career long of 57 yards against the Panthers. Grupe’s overall percentage of made field goals has jumped by nearly 10 percent as well. He’s earned some confidence during his brief time on the job, let’s hope he keeps it up.

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Wil Lutz reacts to joining impressive list of NFL kickers

Wil Lutz became the fifth-fastest kicker in NFL history to reach 1,000 career points on Monday.

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz made history against the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football this week.

Lutz, 30, went 2-of-2 on field goal attempts and 5-of-5 on extra point attempts in a 41-32 win over the Browns, giving him 11 total points on the night. Lutz has now topped 1,000 career points in 127 games. He was the fifth-fastest kicker in NFL history to reach that milestone.

Player Games Points
1. Justin Tucker 118 1,008
2. Stephen Gostkowski 119 1,009
3. Mason Crosby 124 1,005
4. Mike Vanderjagt 126 1,004
5. Wil Lutz 127 1,009

“Grateful for this journey, and everyone whose had a hand in it 🙏,” Lutz wrote on his official Twitter/X page on Monday after the game.

Lutz ranks ninth among active players with 1,009 career points. He spent the first eight years of his career with the New Orleans Saints before following coach Sean Payton to the Broncos in 2023.

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Wil Lutz had a funny response to Bo Nix’s comments about settling for field goals

Broncos QB Bo Nix said he’s proud of Wil Lutz, but he only wants the kicker to have to attempt extra points. This is how Lutz responded.

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz had a big performance against the Las Vegas Raiders last week, going 5-for-5 on field goal attempts and 2-for-2 on extra point attempts in a 29-19 win on the road.

Following his 17-point day, Lutz was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Broncos players are, of course, happy for Lutz’s success, but quarterback Bo Nix doesn’t want to settle for that many field goals going forward.

“When we get into the red zone, we have to score,” Nix said last Friday. “One thing that we didn’t do great last week. Wil Lutz got another Player of the Week because he’s kicking five field goals. We’re proud of him and he’s doing a great job of when he gets out there, but we’re trying to have him only make 15-yarders from the extra point standpoint. We have to continue to be efficient when our moment comes and continue to score touchdowns. That’s what has worked in the past and in a game like this, primetime, that is how you win games. You have to score points.”

Lutz had a perfect response to his quarterback’s statement:

Lutz has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season and Nix has won three straight Rookie of the Week awards. The kicker joked that he’s just trying to keep pace with his QB. So long as the Broncos continue to win, Lutz can win all the awards he likes.

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Broncos kicker Wil Lutz wins weekly award

This was Wil Lutz’s second time winning the award in 2024.

After the Denver Broncos‘ win over the Las Vegas Raiders, kicker Wil Lutz earned another personal accolade of his own.

Lutz was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after going 5-for-5 on field goals and 2-for-2 on extra points. Lutz’s 17 points proved the critical difference in the Broncos’ 29-19 win over the Raiders. Lutz made field goals of 33, 38, 45, 53 and 54 yards in the win.

Week 12 was the second time Lutz won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2024. Lutz also won the award after Denver’s Week 3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2024, Lutz has been exceptional for the Broncos. Lutz has made 24-of-27 field goals (88.9%) and a perfect 26-of-26 on extra points in 2024. After being traded to Denver in 2023, Lutz has been 54-of-61 on field goals and 55-of-57 on extra points.

There are five games left for Lutz to improve on those numbers before the season ends. Up next is a Monday Night Football showdown with the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.

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This is why Alex Singleton was Wil Lutz’s biggest fan on Sunday

“He’s very grateful,” Wil Lutz said of scoring for Alex Singleton’s fantasy football team. “He reminded me of that after every one of them.”

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz had a big game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.

Lutz converted 38-, 53-, 54-, 45- and 33-yard field goals and converted two extra-point attempts, accounting for 17 of Denver’s 29 points on the day.

Nobody was happier about Lutz’s performance than injured Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton, who started his teammate in fantasy football.

“17 points, but 22 points for Alex Singleton’s fantasy team,” Lutz said after the game. Singleton’s league must give bonuses for long field goals. “He’s very grateful. He reminded me of that after every one of them.”

Lutz is 13-of-13 on kicks since the team’s last-second field goal attempt against the Kansas City Chiefs was blocked in Week 10.

“Listen, he’s been kicking well,” coach Sean Payton said after a 29-19 win in Las Vegas. “His Kansas City kick got blocked, but it was a good kick. That was on us as coaches. That wasn’t on any individual player. Wil is doing well. Shoot, he’s got a live leg. He was solid today. Yeah, his body of work has been really good.”

Lutz is 24-of-27 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 54 yards. He’s 26-of-26 on extra points attempts, scoring 98 points so far in 2024.

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5 Broncos players who deserve to make the 2025 Pro Bowl

These five Denver Broncos players should make the Pro Bowl this season.

Fan voting for the 2025 Pro Bowl opened on Monday and the Denver Broncos have five players who deserve to make the All-Star game.

Here’s a quick list of the Broncos players who should receive an invite to Florida following the regular season.

1. CB Pat Surtain: PS2 has allowed just 142 passing yards this season, fewest in the NFL among qualified cornerbacks. Add in three interceptions (including a 100-yard pick-six) and Surtain should be a lock.

2. G Quinn Meinerz: He delivers pancake blocks seemingly every week. Meinerz is overdue for his first career Pro Bowl nod.

3. DL Zach Allen: He’s currently sidelined with a heel injury, but Allen still leads defensive linemen with 52 pressures this season. Allen has dominated this fall, totaling 21 quarterback hits, 12 tackles behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks through 11 games.

4. OLB Nik Bonitto: The first Broncos to record double-digit sacks since 2018, Bonitto is in contention to lead the NFL in sacks this season.

5. WR Courtland Sutton: His 744 receiving yards rank in the top four in the AFC, as do his five receiving touchdowns. Sutton has been a reliable WR1 for rising rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Honorable mentions: CB Riley Moss, K Wil Lutz, OLB Jonathon Cooper, CB Ja’Quan McMillian, DB Brandon Jones, LT Garett Bolles, QB Bo Nix, KR/PR Marvin Mims and ST Tremon Smith.

Fans can vote for the Pro Bowl through Dec. 23. The 2025 Pro Bowl Games will be held at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Feb. 2.

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Twitter reacts to Broncos’ 29-19 win over Raiders

The Denver Broncos Twitterscape erupted after a 29-19 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Denver Broncos swept their AFC West nemesis Las Vegas Raiders with a 29-19 win on Sunday.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter/X reacted to the big win.


The Broncos will look to continue the magic in a Monday Night Football matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 3rd.

Bo Nix makes history again as Broncos defeat Raiders 29-19

The Broncos defeated the Raiders on Sunday and Bo Nix now holds the franchise record for the most TD passes by a rookie in team history.

The Denver Broncos defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 29-19 on Sunday afternoon, securing their first-ever win at Allegiant Stadium. Broncos quarterback Bo Nix broke another record in the victory.

With two touchdown passes on Sunday, Nix now holds Denver’s rookie record for the most touchdown passes (16) in a season (with five games remaining).

The Broncos opened the scoring late in the first quarter with a 38-yard Wil Lutz field goal to take a 3-0 lead. After that, the Raiders returned a kickoff 59 yards and quarterback Gardner Minshew later threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Ameer Abdullah to make it 7-3. Lutz answered that with a 53-yard field goal to close the deficit to 7-6.

Las Vegas converted a fake punt on the next drive with a 34-yard pass from punter AJ Cole to linebacker Divine Deablo. That set up a 34-yard Daniel Carlson field goal that extended the Raiders lead to 10-6. After that, Lutz converted a 54-yard field goal to make it 10-9. Cole then kicked a 34-yard field goal to give Las Vegas a 13-9 lead going into halftime.

Momentum swung Denver’s way in the third quarter when safety Brandon Jones intercepted a Minshew pass. That set up quarterback Bo Nix’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton to take a 16-13 lead.

Lutz added a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 19-13. Carlson matched that with a 53-yard field goal to draw the Raiders within three, 19-16. Later in the fourth, Nix threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Sutton to extend the lead to 26-16. Carlson then kicked a 22-yarder to make it 26-19.

Minshew suffered a shoulder injury in the fourth quarter, then the Broncos got the ball back after Desmond Ridder was sacked and fumbled the ball, essentially sealing the game. Lutz added a 33-yard field goal after that turnover to secure a 29-19 lead, which held as the final score.

Denver cornerback Riley Moss suffered a knee injury late in the second quarter and was ruled out in the second half. Nix also seemed to be bothered by some kind of issue in the second half and his waist area was wrapped on the sideline.

Up next for the Broncos is a Monday Night Football home game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 13.

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Broncos players lined up to hug Justin Simmons after beating Falcons

Broncos players lined up to hug Justin Simmons after beating the Falcons on Sunday. Simmons also thanked fans after the game.

After the Denver Broncos defeated the Atlanta Falcons in a blowout 38-6 win over Sunday, safety Justin Simmons exchanged post-game hugs with many of his former teammates.

Romi Bean of KCNC-TV shared a 30-second video on Twitter/X showing Broncos players lining up to embrace Simmons. The video shows kicker Wil Lutz, running back Javonte Williams, cornerback Riley Moss (who Simmons called “White Lightning”), safety Devon Key and wide receiver Marvin Mims exchanging hugs after the game.

Simmons, 30, played for the Broncos from 2016-2023 before being cut earlier this year. Ahead of Sunday’s game, Simmons dropped a f-bomb on his former team during a pre-game speech. The safety probably didn’t expect cameras to pick up the audio of that pre-game huddle.

After the game, Simmons sang a different tune.

“It was emotional,” Simmons said of returning to Denver. “Obviously, I played the last eight years here. A lot of good memories and it was bittersweet. First, I’m thankful for the warm embrace with the fans and (I) got to see some of my old teammates. It stinks being on the opposite side and coming away with the loss, a bad loss at that.

“We didn’t execute nearly well enough on defense to give us a chance to win this game. That’s a credit to their offense and how they were operating. It makes the whole thing bittersweet, but I did want to say thank you to the fans and the people that I got to see. The staff that I’ve known and gotten to know the previous eight years. I am super grateful and I’m also standing up here with a heavy heart of a really tough loss.”

Simmons ended the day with five tackles, including one tackle behind the line of scrimmage. He was on the opposite end of Javonte Williams’ touchdown run in the second quarter. “I was trying to tell them this boy run hard,” Simmons told Williams after the game.

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Wil Lutz and Ben Kotwica give the final word on Alex Forsyth

“Alex [Forsyth] just wants to get better and we’ve gotta do a better job as coaches giving them tools to be successful,” Ben Kotwica said.

The Denver Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday when their last-second field goal attempt was blocked.

Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth has faced heavy criticism from fans and pundits following the block because the Chiefs penetrated the line by knocking Forsyth down and jumping over him.

Many Denver players — including quarterback Bo Nix — have come to Forsyth’s defense, as has coach Sean Payton. Even former players have defended the lineman and his tough task on field goal protection.

After practice on Thursday, Broncos special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica was asked about Forsyth during his weekly media session.

“First off, Alex is a tremendous football player,” Kotwica said. “Love having him, he’s a great teammate. We’re all part of that. So even though that might be the isolated spotlight, we’re all part of that.

“We’ve had those conversations and mostly it’s been ball. Alex just wants to get better and we’ve gotta do a better job as coaches at giving them tools to be successful. So I think putting that all together, I think I’m excited about the product we’ll see moving forward.”

Denver kicker Wil Lutz also chimed in this week on Twitter/X.

“Team game, we’re all in this together,” Lutz tweeted. “We can all be better. Excited for the challenge this field goal unit has in front of us this week!”

The Broncos’ field goal unit will aim to bounce back when the team hosts the Atlanta Falcons at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 11.

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