Mile High Sports

Brandon McManus kicks his way into AFC Championship Game, record books

MHS Staff

Jan 17, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus (8) makes a field goal out of the hold of punter Britton Colquitt (4) during the third quarter of the AFC Divisional round playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

After logging five consecutive games with a missed kick (including one of the ugliest kicks in recent NFL memory) from Week 12 through 16, Broncos placekicker Brandon McManus was due for a big shot at redemption. The October 2015 AFC Player of the Month got more than his fair share of chances against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday and came through in a way that is deserving of more hardware.

In a game that was in many ways decided by two legs, McManus proved to have the best one; he converted on 5-of-5 field goals, tying a playoff record. McManus became the ninth player in postseason history to hit five field goals. He accounted for 65 percent of the Broncos’ scoring in the win. On the other side of the ball, it was the poor punting of Pittsburgh’s Jordan Berry that set up three of those field goals.

In the first half, the Broncos took over in Pittsburgh territory twice and on their own 47 yard line to set up nine of Denver’s first 12 points. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Broncos got scoring from anyone other than Brandon McManus and he tacked on the team’s final three points with a clutch 45-yarder with less than a minute left that put Denver up by two scores.

No kick was bigger than his 51-yarder late in the second half that brought the Broncos to back within one point heading into halftime. Having jumped out to a six-point lead in the first quarter, Denver gave up 10 unanswered points and looked like they were in danger of stalling out again. With a stiff wind blowing across the field, McManus put one through the right uprights and gave his team a big boost of confidence to enter the locker room at the half at a near tie.

Peyton Manning may have received plenty of praise for his fourth-quarter, go-ahead drive and the defense certainly deserves the due for the forced fumble they caused that set up that drive, not to mention their big sack of Ben Roethlisberger to seal the game. But no one on the Denver roster is deserving of more praise than Brandon McManus.

Here’s what some of our favorite follows had to say about the kicker’s big leg and big day…

https://twitter.com/AdamKadourhe/status/688859536350785536

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