Broncos lose by a point after kicker Wil Lutz leaves four on the field

The Denver Broncos lost for a lot of reasons to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, but kicker Wil Lutz had a rough debut.

Lutz missed an extra point in the first quarter, keeping the score at 7-6 after Russell Wilson led a touchdown drive.

Then, in the third quarter, Lutz missed a 55-yard field goal that could’ve extended the lead 16-10.

Alas, Denver ultimately fell by a final score of 17-16, and the four points Lutz left on the field proved to be huge.

After the game, head coach Sean Payton was asked about Lutz’s underwhelming start in orange and blue.

“I don’t have a good angle to look at the missed extra point. I was surprised a little bit, his first kick. He’ll bounce back,” Payton said.

And remember, Lutz was picked by Payton to be his kicker. The two were together for several years in New Orleans, and after Lutz lost a kicker battle with the Saints, Payton was eager to trade for him.

“He’s had a good two weeks with us, hasn’t had any issues. We attempted the longer one, the 55-yard field goal. That one looked pretty close. That too I think was missed right. We’ll work to get that cleaned up,” Payton said.

Payton also surprisingly cut longtime kicker Brandon McManus a few months ago, then didn’t want to let Brett Maher hang around after he was perfect in Denver’s final two preseason games.

A lot of guys are to blame for the unfathomable seventh straight loss to the Raiders, but Lutz is near the top of the list.

You have to wonder if Payton should be looking for his fourth kicker since he took the Broncos head coaching job.

(Update: 5:55 p.m.) –

To his credit, Lutz spoke with the media after missing the two kicks that helped lose Denver the game. And even more to his credit, he took responsibility for his role in the defeat.

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz on his tough day. He owned it. #9sports pic.twitter.com/qeM025o033

— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) September 10, 2023

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