The Broncos suffered a late heartbreaking 29-28 loss on Sunday to the Colts. And it all came down to a last-minute penalty by Denver defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike.
Indianapolis kicker Spencer Shrader attempted a 60-yard field goal to end the game that missed, causing the Broncos to think they won the close game. However, Uwazurike was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for a "leverage" penalty for attempting to use another player to gain an advantage while trying to block a kick. This gave the Colts a much easier 45-yard field goal attempt, which Shrader made, to win the game.
Understandably, Denver coach Sean Payton was distraught with how the game turned out. He took some of the blame for the loss, but also admitted that the Broncos had some late mistakes that need to be fixed moving forward, including this costly penalty.
“Let me start by saying, obviously, a disappointing loss,” Payton said. “We did a lot of things late in that game to keep us from winning. It’ll be painful to watch that film. And yet, we’ll get the corrections made. So, starts with me, our staff. But we had a number of opportunities to not be in that position late, and unfortunately, we shot ourselves in the foot too many times.”
A couple of the other late mistakes made by Denver included Broncos kicker Will Lutz missing a 42-yard attempt on their final drive of the game, the one right before the Colts' winning drive. On the Broncos' drive before that, quarterback Bo Nix threw an interception, leading the Colts to score a field goal on the ensuing drive.
It was a close game throughout, but those fourth quarter mistakes really forced the Broncos to "shoot themselves in the foot," as Payton said.
"Look, we’ve got to be smart,” Payton said. “You can’t spike the ball, and then we’ve got to capitalize on our field goal opportunity. There will be a bitter taste in our mouth for a little bit, and it’s because we put ourselves in a position to control that game late, and then it slipped out of our hands. So, it’s hard.”
Hopefully the Broncos will be able to bounce back from their first loss of the season when facing the Chargers next Sunday.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sean Payton Gives Brutal Take About Broncos' Late Mistakes in Loss to Colts.