After quarterback Bo Nix rushed for a four-yard touchdown on Sunday, the Denver Broncos trailed the Seattle Seahawks by six points with just over two left in the game.
With a pair of timeouts and the two-minute warning still remaining, the Broncos decided to kick it deep to Seattle instead of attempting an onside kick. The decision nearly paid off.
After two plays, the Seahawks faced a 3rd-and-11 from their own 29-yard line. Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith connected with tight end Noah Fant on a nine-yard completion that was short of the first down marker.
That would have given the Broncos an opportunity to get the ball back, but pass rusher Baron Browning was penalized for lining up offside. That five-yard penalty turned a 3rd-and-11 into a 3rd-and-6 and Seattle got another chance to convert.
This time, Smith connected with wide receiver Tyler Lockett on a nine-yard completion to pick up a first down and seal a 26-20 win.
Denver cornerback Riley Moss came very close to breaking it up:
Riley Moss was SO CLOSE to making a great play and giving Bo Nix the opportunity to go down and get a win in the final drive (also insane catch from Lockett).
I really thought Riley looked pretty good on Sunday. Seattle has a talented WR room. It would be great for the Broncos… pic.twitter.com/NPFQXX81zG
— Carter Dillon (@CarterDillon14) September 9, 2024
“[W]e competed,” Nix said after the game. “We went down there and scored at the end and gave ourselves a chance to win. We were an inch away on an almost batted ball that Riley Moss made an incredible play on that they just made a better play. It’s tough. You’ve got to give them credit, but we battled and we continued to fight.”
Browning and Moss will regret those final two plays that demonstrated how football truly is a game of inches. Denver’s defense will look to bounce back when the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town in Week 2.
