ENGLEWOOD, Colo. - Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said Monday morning the game officials made "the correct call" on a Denver penalty during a 60-yard field goal attempt Sunday, a penalty that gave the Indianapolis Colts a second chance at the game-winner on the last play of a 29-28 Broncos loss.
Broncos outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman was flagged for leverage on the 60-yard attempt with three second left in regulation and the Broncos clinging to a 28-26 lead. The kick was short, but Tillman put his left hand on the player lined up at right guard on the kick -- Dalton Tucker -- and leaped to try to block the kick.
Payton said it was a mistake to have a field-goal block call on for such a long attempt and that the Broncos had also lined up improperly on the play.
"We had a certain field goal block (in the gameplan) in the event of a game-ending field goal,'' Payton said Monday. " ... But that's on me in that situation. It's not on (special teams coach) Darren (Rizzi), it's not on Tillman. A 60-yard field goal attempt is different ... The alignment got wrong and the (officials') call was correct ... My big regret flying home was, you know ... that (block attempt) is more for a gimme than a 60-yard attempt. And that's on me.''
Payton said the Broncos had actually planned, if they wanted to try to block a kick, their intention was to rush at the player the Colts had at left guard on kicks -- defensive tackle Grover Stewart. The Broncos had actually bowled Stewart over to break through the line on an earlier field goal attempt in the game - Shane Shrader's 33-yarder in the first quarter.
But on the 60-yard attempt, just before the snap, Tillman and Broncos defensive tackle Eyioma Uwazurike flipped spots and instead of Tillman being across from Stewart he was now across from Tucker. Tillman was flagged and after the 15-yard penalty Shrader made the 45-yard attempt on an untimed down to end the game.
"The idea was to work 90 ... who lined up at left guard ... and then right at the last minute (Uwazurike and Tillman) flipped on it on the inside and now we're on a different defender,'' Payton said. "We end up on the wrong side ... But before any of that we should be looking at a normal rush, a normal interior rush.''
Payton said Tillman's penalty was just one of several issues for the Broncos in Sunday's fourth quarter. The Broncos led 28-23 when the fourth quarter began, but quarterback Bo Nix threw a red-zone interception, the Broncos had three penalties in the quarter, including two 15-yarders, and Wil Lutz also missed a 42-yard field goal, a miss that led to the Colts' game-winning drive.
