Broncos Kicker Wil Lutz Suggests Special Teams Misalignment on Missed 45-Yard Field Goal.

Snow-covered field lines at Denver’s Empower Field may have contributed to a missed opportunity for the Broncos in their AFC Championship matchup against the New England Patriots. Denver kicker Wil Lutz missed a 45-yard field goal attempt that could have tied the score at 10, with 4:42 remaining in the fourth quarter. The kick was tipped by Patriots defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III, causing it to fall short and miss left. After the game, Lutz told reporters that the team may have been lined up a yard further back than intended because the snow obscured the field markings. “My guess is, unfortunately, you couldn't see the lines on the field and honestly we might have been a yard short on the snap. We had to kind of estimate”. Analysis of the play suggested that the holder, Jeremy Crawshaw, was positioned a yard closer to the line of scrimmage than usual. This adjustment effectively made the kick from seven yards behind the line rather than eight, potentially affecting the trajectory and making the attempt easier to block.

Lutz, a nine-year veteran who spent his first six NFL seasons with the New Orleans Saints, admitted that he had never kicked in snowy conditions. During the regular season, he successfully made 28 of 32 field goal attempts, with only two misses between 40 and 49 yards, and two from 50 yards or longer. Lutz and the Broncos had agreed to a three-year contract extension in November.