Broncos coaching issue exposed on blocked field goal in loss vs. Chiefs

The Denver Broncos had a game-winning field goal blocked against the Kansas City Chiefs in what would have been one of the best signature wins of the last decade for Denver. What should have been one of the best signature wins of the last decade.

The Broncos did everything right to finish the game against the Chiefs. They took advantage of good field position on their final drive. They forced the Chiefs to use all of their timeouts. They bled the clock down to just one second left before trotting out the kicker Wil Lutz to attempt a 35-yard kick to win the game. And 35-yard field goals are converted into three points 92 percent of the time over the last five years.

In other words, it was basically a foregone conclusion that the Broncos would win the game based on the situation they were in.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, they've been letting a major issue slide over the course of this season and they let it slide one too many times. Although sometimes plays like this just happen in the NFL, what we saw against the Kansas City Chiefs was just one of many examples of something similar that has happened all throughout the season.

Broncos coaches deserve blame for blocked field goal attempt

Take a look at the left side of the line in all of these clips, specifically at #54 Alex Forsyth. We could sit here and harp on Forsyth (who undoubtedly needs to do better than this) but he looks like he's out there taking a beating by design.

On every single one of these clips, Forsyth looks completely flat-footed and as though he's a practice dummy for the opposing team. I'm not going to sit here and pretend to be an expert on how you're supposed to be blocking for a field goal, or that I could personally do it, but I'm also not part of an NFL operation. We see field goals being kicked and not blocked all the time. Blocking a field goal almost as likely than a Hail Mary being converted in today's NFL, it feels like.

But when one of the guys on your protection unit is getting steamrolled every single snap, you think a top-tier coordinator on the other sideline like Dave Toub is not going to realize that? The Chiefs simply figured out a way to get home on a play that has been flirting with disaster all year for the Broncos.

This is unacceptable. This should have been identified as a major issue much earlier than now. The consequences could ultimately be catastrophic. There's a lot of season left to be played, and as Broncos head coach Sean Payton pointed out on Monday, the sky is not falling. But with that being said, what happens if we get to the end of the season and the Broncos miss the playoffs by one game?

This was a game they needed to win because they did everything they were supposed to do. You have to make your layups. You have to hit your free throws. You have to finish games. The Broncos could have prevented the outcome of the Kansas City game by acknowledging a major issue a long time ago.

Unfortunately, they had to live and learn the hard way.