On the game’s biggest play, Fangio and the Broncos were dazed and confused
Dec 6, 2021, 3:40 PM
It was the biggest play of the biggest game since Super Bowl 50. And the Broncos ability to botch it served as a microcosm of what ails them under Vic Fangio.
Denver was executing their game plan to perfection. After giving up 10 early points to the Chiefs, the Broncos scored a field goal of their own and then forced Kansas City to punt. Starting their next drive from their own three-yard line with 12:16 to play in the second quarter, Teddy Bridgewater and Company began an epic march.
All told, the Broncos went 88 yards on 20 plays, including a pair of clutch fourth-down conversions, chewing up 11:07 of game clock in the process. It was perfection, as Denver was about to cut into the Chiefs lead, while simultaneously keeping Patrick Mahomes standing harmlessly on the sideline.
There was only one problem. The Broncos didn’t finish the drive.
Facing a fourth-and-two at the Chiefs eight-yard line, Denver once again decided to go for it. Knowing that they weren’t going to beat Kansas City in Arrowhead Stadium by kicking field goals, Vic Fangio decided to roll the dice.
“I am comfortable with that decision,” Fangio said after the game. “We had converted a couple of fourth downs to keep it going. You have to score touchdowns to beat this team.”
His bet didn’t pay off. Javonte Williams was stuffed in the backfield, losing a yard on a run and turning the ball over to the Chiefs on downs.
It was a deflating way to end the first half. What could’ve been a decisive, statement-making possession instead turned into a letdown.
But it didn’t have to go that way. The Broncos could’ve avoided the negative play.
Prior to the play, there was disarray on the field. Members of Denver’s offense seemed unsure of what to do. As a result, they weren’t all on the same page when the ball was snapped. The result was a huge play for Kansas City.
The explanation for the situation, however, was telling. It embodies all that is wrong with the Broncos at the moment.
“There was a little confusion,” Fangio admitted after the game. “By the time that we knew there was confusion, we didn’t think there was, but obviously there was. It was too late to call a timeout.”
Um, what? The Broncos were confused about whether or not they were confused?
At that moment, that seems hard to believe. What were the coaches paying attention to at that critical moment that caused them to not realize what was going on? Why didn’t the players on the field notice the problem?
The Broncos could’ve called a timeout. They could’ve regrouped. Instead, the ended an impressive drive with a thud, flopping on the biggest play of the game.
On Monday, Fangio tried to clarify the situation. His explanation didn’t help.
“There was definitely some miscommunication there between Teddy making the call and executing the play,” the Broncos head coach said. “Teddy gets under center a lot before he moves back to the gun. And then when it became obvious that he wasn’t going to do that, you know, it was kind of too late for me to run down there and call the timeout. That’s what happened.”
So the veteran quarterback ran the wrong play. He was under center when he was supposed to be in shotgun. And no one thought to call a timeout.
Not the head coach. Not the offensive coordinator. Not a player on the field. No one.
It’s almost difficult to believe that this could happen on an NFL team. On the 20th play of a drive, facing a fourth down that would likely make or break the night, the Broncos couldn’t execute correctly. And no one was paying attention close enough to prevent it from happening.
Shame on Teddy Bridgewater for not running the play correctly. Shame on Pat Shurmur for not getting the call in correctly. Shame on Vic Fangio for not being alert enough to call a timeout. And shame on the 11 players on the field for not recognizing the confusion.
None of this should be a surprise, however. It’s just more of the same for the Fangio-led Broncos.
They do a lot of things right, but don’t pay attention to the details. They mismanage in-game situations on a weekly basis, failing to make critical decisions when needed.
Dazed and confused. That was the Broncos on the most critical play of the season.
