Were the elements working against the Broncos during a late-game blocked field goal attempt by Wil Lutz?
The Broncos kicker very well thinks the blizzard-like conditions played a factor in the sequence that led to Patriots defender Leonard Taylor III getting his fingertips on the 45-yard attempt with less than five minutes to play in what ended in a 10-7 loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game in Denver on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, you couldn’t see the lines on the field and honestly, I think we were… we might have been a yard short on the snap,” Lutz said following the defeat, according to Denver Sports. “Can’t see the lines on the field and we had to kind of estimate, and a guy comes through, and it was blocked.”
He added: “It sucks when you want to be there to help the team, and I wasn’t able to do that tonight.”
The kick in question was tipped by Taylor.
While the Patriot player was able to get his fingers on it, the ball did have the distance to give the Broncos a fleeting moment of hope, but it went wide left.
The Broncos never came close again to tying the game and a deep pass attempt was intercepted, essentially sealing the win for New England.
Lutz had missed an earlier chance that would have put Denver ahead right before halftime.
Lutz sent his field goal attempt to the right that time from 54 yards and with 24 seconds left in the half.
The Patriots pulled ahead with a field goal in the third quarter from 23 yards by kicker Andy Borregales.
The trip to the Super Bowl is the Patriots’ first since 2019 when they defeated the Rams.
The Broncos have not been to the Super Bowl since 2016, when they defeated the Panthers at Levi’s Stadium in Super Bowl 50.
