Missed last-second field goal dooms Broncos to another close loss

Close. It’s what the Denver Broncos were to a win on Sunday.

Had kicker Brandon McManus connected on a 51-yard field goal as time expired, the Broncos would have pulled out a close one against the Houston Texans.

But, Denver did not, instead losing another close game late.

“We all feel like we’ve got to do better. It’s just getting old, saying that we’re close,” quarterback Case Keenum said after the game.

Sunday’s loss goes down as the Broncos’ sixth in seven games, four of which were decided by a touchdown or less.

After the game, head coach Vance Joseph said he doesn’t have an issue with how his team has been coached and his players have played, but they do need to “finish games better.”

“The guys played really hard, and it’s a resilient group. We’ve got to finish better,” Joseph said.

Linebacker Von Miller said after the game that he and his teammates are “doing a lot of good stuff” but just can’t seem to come out on top.

“We’re just losing. If I could put my finger on it, we would be winning,” Miller said. “It’s a tough league.”

Miller pointed to a scenario late in the first half in which the Broncos allowed a six-point swing.

A missed 62-yard field goal attempt left the Texans with solid field position with just 18 seconds remaining in the half, a move in which Joseph shouldered the blame.

“That’s totally on me. I’m trying to be greedy and get three more points and it cost us three,” Joseph said.

Denver’s defense then allowed 20 yards in three plays to give Houston a shot at a 46-yard field goal. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed an attempt, though converted on a second attempt after Joseph had called a timeout just before the play.

“If I could put my finger on it, it would be situations and scenarios like that where we’ve got to come out on top,” Miller said.

Denver now heads into the bye week at 3-6 with rumblings of possible shakeups coming.

However, Joseph said he doesn’t “foresee any major changes.”

“I think we’re playing good enough football to where, right now, I think some small tweaks can help us,” Joseph said. “… I don’t have a problem with how we’re coaching and how we’re playing. We’ve just got to finish games better.

“We’ve been in some tight games that we haven’t finished, and that’s the heartbreaking part. But how we work each week and how guys play on Sunday, I’m fine with that.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.