ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Sean Payton doesn't want Alex Forsyth catching all the flack for getting bulldozed by a wave of Kansas City defenders and allowing linebacker Leo Chenal to block Wil Lutz's game-winning, chip-shot field-goal attempt.
“This isn’t on the player," Payton insisted Monday. “This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches. We’ve got to continue to look at, ‘Hey, are we big enough stature-wise there for that?’ And understanding how the rush was coming. It’s disappointing, and yet it’s not something that’s new when a big play is made at the end of the game.”
It was difficult for the Broncos (5-5) to find solace in standing toe to toe with the unbeaten Chiefs for 59:59 Sunday after Chenal and several of his teammates burst through the left side of Denver's field goal protection unit to seal Kansas City's 16-14 escape and deny Denver its biggest win in nearly a decade.
“I read all the comments afterward," Payton said, “and I think that it’s tough to lose a game that way.”
The Chiefs (9-0) said after the game they had identified a vulnerability in Denver's protection alignment Sunday.
“The guy who I was rushing, he was kind of light on his toes a little bit," Chenal told Pro Football Talk.
The Chiefs' block unit penetrated the left side of Denver's protection line and nearly got their hands on Lutz's extra point following Denver's second touchdown. They nearly got there again on Lutz's 60-yard field-goal attempt that fell short just before halftime.
“We’re constantly each week making corrections," Payton said. “Not just with the field-goal unit, (but) with the offense, with a certain protection and with a certain coverage. When something like that happens ... it’s pretty common for the team that had success with it to say, ‘Hey we saw ...’ Credit them for that. They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough."
Now, Payton has to see to it that the gut-wrenching loss doesn't ruin the Broncos' season. Even at 5-5, they're still sitting in the seventh and final playoff position in the AFC.
In his postgame news conference, Payton said the sting of this loss would linger, but on Monday he had changed his tone.
“The sky is not falling," Payton said. “There’s a lot ahead obviously. We have (seven) games left. I think this team has been resilient. The sky isn’t falling relative to our season and the schedule. We’re sitting here at 5-5. Obviously we’d have loved to have been 6-4 with a win yesterday, but the focus is just quickly to the next game.”
Payton trusts his leaders in the locker room.
“I like the leadership on this team. It’s an entirely different team than a year ago. It’s tough — it’s tough mentally and physically,” Payton said. "Overcoming a tough loss … listen, when you talk to the players about that, you tell them, ‘Hey, that’s going to happen periodically in your career.’ You hope that you have a few of those games that maybe you thought that you didn’t deserve to win that you did win.
"You have to bounce back either way.”
What’s working
The offense is coming together with Bo Nix getting better by the week and Payton injecting more and more creativity as his rookie quarterback shows signs of growth. Sunday's wrinkles included speedy returner/receiver Marvin Mims Jr. lining up in the backfield for hand-offs and the introduction of rookie Audric Estime as Denver's lead running back.
What needs help
Closing out games. The first 59:59 showed just how close the Broncos are to competing with the two-time defending Super Bowl champions. The last second showed just how far they are from actually getting there.
Stock up
Nix. He outplayed Patrick Mahomes and did a terrific job in the final 5:37, converting a trio of third downs and assuring that Mahomes wouldn't get his hands on the ball again after the Chiefs had taken their first lead of the game. The one thing Nix couldn't do was assure that Chenal wouldn't get his hands on the ball at the end.
Stock down
Special teams coach Ben Kotwica's unit had been lights-out this season. But Sunday's failure was gargantuan and could define the season, especially if the Broncos fall short of the playoffs for a ninth consecutive season. The Broncos are in the hunt with the Bengals and Colts for the seventh seed at the moment and they have both of those teams remaining on their schedule.
Injuries
The Broncos activated C Luke Wattenberg from injured reserve Saturday.
Key numbers
1-13 — The Broncos' record against Patrick Mahomes, whom they sacked four times and held to a single touchdown throw Sunday.
Next steps
The Broncos host the Atlanta Falcons (6-4) Sunday.
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