Fangio Expresses Regret on Decision to Punt on Key 4th-&-3 Late at Arrowhead

Vic Fangio is once again being second-guessed by a coaching decision in the clutch as the Broncos fell to the Chiefs 22-16 at Arrowhead.

The Denver Broncos were within striking distance of the Kansas City Chiefs. Trailing by three points with 6:13 to go in the fourth quarter, Vic Fangio was faced with a momentous decision on 4th-&-3. 

Quarterback Drew Lock had just thrown an incomplete pass that arguably should have been caught by rookie wideout KJ Hamler. The ball was near midfield on the Broncos' 49-yard line. 

A conversion would have put the Broncos in Chiefs' territory and all the closer to a possible Brandon McManus field goal, which, if made, would have tied the game at 19. Instead, Fangio opted to trot Sam Martin out to punt the ball. 

Patrick Mahomes made Fangio pay for his decision to give it back, driving the Chiefs 55 yards on a 10-play drive that sucked more than five minutes off the clock and culminated in another field goal. Fangio had to use all his timeouts on Kansas City's final scoring drive and it left Lock and company with a six-point deficit, an entire field to traverse, and only 1:04 to go. 

After the game, Fangio tried to explain his logic to punt at the 49-yard line when the Broncos had the chance to go for the jugular, playing with house money. 

“I gave it a strong consideration, but at some point in the game, we've got to get a stop and we weren't able to there," Fangio said post-game. "We held them to a field goal, but that made it a touchdown game and burned out some of the time there. So, in retrospect, [we] should have probably gone for it, but I did give it serious thought.”

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Woulda, shoulda, coulda. Kind of the story of Fangio's second year as head coach of the Broncos. However, Fangio deserves some credit for how he got the Broncos prepared for this game and for how his defense once again performed in key situations. 

Mahomes and the Chiefs went 3-of-10 on third down and 0-for-4 in the red zone. Mahomes ended up going over 300 yards passing, but the Broncos made him work for it and he only tossed one touchdown pass. 

Meanwhile, the Broncos' offense played well through three quarters, finishing with 179 rushing yards and putting touchdowns on the board both times they got to the red zone. The dagger? 

Lock and company couldn't close. It takes a full 60 minutes to beat the Chiefs and the Broncos' offense only turned in a complete 45. 

Better luck next time, I guess. But at least this Chiefs game, despite it being the 11th straight loss, wasn't a blowout. There is a moral victory to be had here, and even if that's not your bag, acknowledge that there were some silver linings, including Fangio's defense. 

As he said, though, Fangio would in retrospect go for it on that fateful 4th-&-3. Another coaching regret I suppose. 

But the Broncos remain '100%' committed to Fangio for 2021. And his overall performance, despite the fourth-down decision, in Arrowhead is a good example of why Fangio is expected back for next year. 

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.