Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus kicks a field goal during the first quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Jan. 17, 2016, at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. (Helen Richardson, The Denver Post)
Brandon McManus stepped out into a relatively warm winter day in Sports Authority Field on Sunday during pre-game, basking under sunny skies and no wind — a kicker’s dream, especially in the playoffs.
Then, just before kickoff against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the weather shifted … considerably.
“That’s the hardest wind I’ve kicked in,” McManus told The Denver Post. “It wasn’t there during warmups, and I come out seven minutes before kickoff and I see 30 mph crosswinds. Sometimes when the wind is out there, you just kind of hit it to a spot and hopefully it goes through.
“So obviously I had to learn quickly what I was going to do.”
At kickoff, the official weather report showed temperatures of 43 degrees with wind out of the northwest at 9 mph, gusting to 16 mph. But it grew only worse as the game went on.
McManus proved a quick study. He converted all five attempts — including one from 51 yards just before halftime that got the Broncos to within one point of the Steelers.
“I thought it wasn’t going to be easy down the middle, and it barely snuck in that way,” McManus said of the kick. “I have a strong leg, so I’m not going to ever aim outside the uprights, but with the wind, you might be one yard inside each upright.”
The effort tied an NFL postseason record for most fields goals made in a game, , most recently by the Packers’ Mason Crosby during , according to Pro Football Reference.
All but one kick was from more than 40 yards. Here’s how it broke down:
- From 28 yards with 11:25 left in the first quarter
- 41 yards with 3:25 left in the first
- 51 yards with five seconds left in the second
- 41 yards with 2:50 left in the third
- 45 yards with 53 seconds left in the fourth
His 15 points kept the Broncos close to the Steelers as the Denver offense failed repeatedly to reach the end zone through three quarters (the Steelers led from 1:22 mark of the first quarter until three minutes remained in the game). The final field goal gave the Broncos some breathing room as the Steelers made a final push to tie.
“At the end, it was a little easier to kick to the south because there was at least some wind behind you. But it was mostly crosswind coming into our bench the whole time,” he said.
On Thursday, although McManus didn’t know it at the time, he got the practice he needed, kicking repeatedly into wind that he said was similarly gusty to what came on Sunday.
“You just aim more, still swing the same, just aim more,” he said. “That ball was carrying definitely sideways today.”
McManus has been flawless since , making eight straight.
Denver Broncos writer contributed to this report.
Daniel Petty: or
