Brandon McManus Named AFC Special Teams Player of Week 4

Brandon McManus earned an accolade for his stalwart performance last week vs. the Jets.

The Denver Broncos signed veteran kicker Brandon McManus to a four-year extension worth $17.2 million on the doorstep of the 2020 season. The hope was that the new money would give McManus a lift and bolster his confidence as the Broncos kicked off the season. 

So far, so good. 

McManus was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance in Denver's 37-28 win over the New York Jets it was announced on Wednesday. 

Believe it or not, it marks the first conference recognition of McManus’ career and represents the first AFC Special Teams Player of the Year honor by a Bronco since safety Justin Simmons received it back in 2016 (Week 10). Remember the blocked extra point at the New Orleans Saints, returned for a score? 

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In Week 4, McManus went 3-of-3 field-goal attempts (from 40, 54, and 53 yards out) while connecting on 4-of-4 extra-point tries, totaling 13 points against the Jets. His kick with 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter gave the Broncos a 30-28 lead and it came on the heels of a third-down play in which QB Brett Rypien was flagged for intentional grounding, thus making what should have been a 43-yarder into a much dicier 53-yard attempt. 

The Broncos would not relinquish the lead again and emerged from MetLife Stadium with their first win of the season, thanks in large part to some clutch kicking from McManus. Sitting at 1-3, the Broncos will face the 2-2 New England Patriots next up. 

Suffice to say, if Denver is going to stand a chance against a Bill Belichick-coached Patriots squad, it'll need McManus to have another perfect game kicking as a specialist. 

On the season, McManus is 6-of-7 on field-goal tries with his only miss coming from 58 yards out. His three field goals of 50-plus yards are tied for the second-most in the league this season and his 56-yarder against Tampa Bay in Week 3 is tied for the second-longest by an NFL kicker in 2020. 

McManus is batting a perfect 1.000 on PATs, converting 8-of-8 for 26 total points this season.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.