McManus takes to Twitter, says Broncos offense did everything he needed
Sep 13, 2022, 11:44 AM
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus doesn’t tweet very often.
But after his potential game-winning kick on Monday Night Football sailed just wide, he felt the need to log on.
McManus says Russell Wilson and the Denver offense hit his target spot. He just didn’t come through to send the Broncos to 1-0 on the season.
46 yard line left hash was my line to get to. They got it there. Need to make the kick
— Brandon McManus (@thekidmcmanus) September 13, 2022
The tweet confirms what Russell Wilson and Nathaniel Hackett told reporters postgame, and also what McManus said to our Senior Broncos writer Andrew Mason in the locker room. 64 yards out was where he felt comfortable, and he had the leg, it just hooked to the left.
“I gave them that spot — 46-yard, left hash — and they got me exactly to that spot. So, I was ready. I knew that there was a good chance that we might kick it,” McManus said.
It’s one thing to tell it to a small group of beat reporters. It’s another to tweet it to all of Broncos Country. For what’s it worth, Wilson still has his back.
“Well, we’ve got the best field goal kicker maybe in the game. We said ‘where can you make it from tonight?’ And he said 46 (yard-line), left hash. I think we were on the 46, left hash. That was before the drive. And we got it there. Unfortunately, it didn’t go in. I think he has the leg for it, for sure, it just went a little left,” Wilson said in his postgame press conference.
It was Hackett’s plan all along to kick it if the Broncos got to that spot on the field. Javonte Williams breaking tackles on a third-down pass put them in position to run the clock down and go for the win.
“He knew where we had to get. I though Javonte made an amazing (play). I was expecting to have go for it on that down and distance,” Hackett said. “Javonte made an incredible play and put us into field goal range at the mark that we were looking for.”
None of this is going to change the fact McManus missed. But it does confirm that he, the head coach and the quarterback were all on the same page. But with McManus now 1-8 on his career on field goals 60-plus yards, why was he the one influencing that decision?
It’s a question that should be asked.
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