The way that the Denver Broncos chose to handle the final drive of their week 1 loss may haunt them for some time. Choosing to take the ball out of Russell Wilson’s hands and giving it to Brandon McManus shocked many.

The Broncos lost their first game of the season to the Seattle Seahawks. Brandon McManus, their star kicker, was given the opportunity to hit a career-long 64-yard kick. Unfortunately for Wilson and the Broncos, McManus missed.

But the choice to even attempt the kick was questioned by many. As the Broncos made their final push down the field, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett’s clock management left much to be desired.

Between poorly called timeouts, false starts, and delay of game penalties, the Broncos continued to put themselves in difficult positions.

During the final drive, Russell Wilson led the Broncos' offense to a difficult fourth down. With five yards to go, Hackett allowed for the game clock to reach twenty seconds. He then called a timeout and elected to kick the field goal. When looking at the statistics, this choice was all wrong.

NFL’s Next Gen Stats broke down the probability of McManus hitting the potential game-winner. It was given just a 14.2% chance to be good.

They also took a look at the Broncos' offense's chances of converting the fourth down. With Wilson at quarterback, they were given a 42.1% probability. Had they better utilized their timeouts and converted the attempt, their chances would have risen significantly.

Had McManus made the kick, there would be no conversation around the decision. And the kicker has even stated that this is the exact spot that he wanted Wilson to get the Broncos offense to.

Regardless, it was a game that the Broncos should have won. They left two touchdowns on the field with two fumbles in the red zone. Any of their self-inflicted mistakes not happening could have led to a different outcome.