But immediately after the contest, fan reaction on the Service Formerly Known as Twitter mingled both dizzy astonishment at his accomplishment with the desire for Lutz to be left in upstate New York when the team plane headed back to Colorado.
Seldom has the line between scapegoat and hero been so thin.
On the surface, the reason is obvious: Lutz failed at both of his extra-point opportunities — one simply sailed wide while the other never came off his foot following a bobbled snap — and he missed his first try at the final boot before being given a second chance by Buffalo, which was penalized for having twelve men on the field. But the history behind the doubts in Lutz have deeper roots.
Prior to the start of the regular season, swaggering new coach Sean Payton dumped longtime kicker Brandon McManus, the last player remaining from Denver's Super Bowl 50 roster, for reasons that made little sense at the time and became less explicable throughout the preseason, when designated replacement Brett Maher proved utterly incompetent. Payton wound up having to trade for Lutz, his kicker when he helmed the New Orleans Saints, shortly before the real contests got underway. But Lutz's debut for the Broncos against the Las Vegas Raiders was a bust when he missed both a long-distance kick of the sort in which he supposedly specializes and, yes, an extra point that ultimately accounted for Denver's margin of defeat in an ultra-depressing 17-16 loss.
Since then, Lutz's stats have been better. Through last night, he's made seventeen of nineteen field-goal attempts — a number very similar to the eighteen-of-twenty mark notched by McManus with his new employers, the Jacksonville Jaguars. But McManus has yet to botch an extra point amid the current campaign — something Lutz definitely can't claim.
Granted, the Broncos should have won the matchup with the Bills a lot more handily than they did. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, who jumped to the NFL from the University of Wyoming, is undeniably one of pro football's great talents; Denver could have drafted him, but chose recently traded Bradley Chubb instead. However, he's also a turnover machine, and the Broncos intercepted him twice, along with recovering two fumbles — and they would have wound up with a third had not running back James Cook's second dropped ball of the evening not miraculously bounced back into his hands as he was steaming downfield for a 42-yard gain late in the contest.
Somehow, though, Denver only managed to register a grand total of six points off all these Buffalo blunders, and while QB Russell Wilson manipulated the Men of Orange into the end zone on two occasions (the highlight was a flat-out miraculous grab by Courtland Sutton), the offense mostly moved in dribs and drabs. While Wilson completed 24 of his 29 passes, his total landed below 200 yards for the astonishing fifth week in a row.
These digits are academic now, and with Denver's record sitting at 4-5, the most delusional members of Broncos Country are starting to dream about a playoff run despite the massive odds against that happening. But the ambivalence about Lutz remains impossible to ignore, as indicated by twenty hilariously scattershot social media takes. Count them down below:
Number 20:
Will Lutz for most improved player
— James Townsend (@jimjimmyjamez) November 14, 2023
Number 19:
Super unconventional dub, but I’ll take it. Defense played great, Russ played decent, but Will Lutz should be fired by the end of the day tomorrow.
— B (@bmmcgeee) November 14, 2023
Number 18:
Dear #BillsMafia,
— Parker Roth (@ParkerRoth2) November 14, 2023
Because your team can NOT count and have 12 men on the field, #WillLutz of the @Broncos gets two chances to hit the game winning FG after MISSING IT.
Also, @BuffaloBills can you send $199.50 to me for losing? Much appreciated! #MissingThePlayoffs #5and5
Number 17:
screw will lutz for making you cry
— kev (@kevsnotheree) November 14, 2023
Number 16:
What a way to lose. Will Lutz shanks a 41yd try, and you've got an extra mf out there. Ridiculous is the only word.#MNF#MondayNightFootball@Broncos @ @BuffaloBills#Bills #BroncosCountry #BillsMafia https://t.co/2XDfWyMcXB
— JBills (@JBillsPok3r) November 14, 2023
Number 15:
Will Lutz the real MVP here pic.twitter.com/Fowi3kAxpu
— Adam(4-5) (8-2) (@MileHighAE) November 14, 2023
Number 14:
Two things can be true... I like Will Lutz, Will Lutz also makes me nervous. Broncos Win! #BroncosCountry
— Ryan (@RyMatthew) November 14, 2023
Number 13:
YESSIR WILL LUTZ THE GOAT pic.twitter.com/pW5sIsnLnQ
— DZMAN (@DZMAN_) November 14, 2023
Number 12:
That stupid game ending with the Broncos carrying Will Lutz off the field like this has me in tears pic.twitter.com/pIucTSWZ8F
— Nick H (@NickH720) November 14, 2023
Number 11:
@Broncos great win! Now please for the love of God fire Will Lutz. Dude almost cost us another one.
— Ethan Shoob (@e_shoob) November 14, 2023
Number 10:
please for the love of God FIRE WILL LUTZ
— Chris (@chrisjachimiak) November 14, 2023
Number 9:
FIRE WILL LUTZ. FIRE WILL LUTZ. FIRE WILL LUTZ
— Chris (@chrisjachimiak) November 14, 2023
Number 8:
Will Lutz will give you a mf HEART ATTACK! Wtf was that?! Maaaaan he’s lucky asf
— Jayy (@jayylove_) November 14, 2023
Number 7:
Time to get rid of Will Lutz tho, huh?
— Ambassador Chad (@ambassador_chad) November 14, 2023
Fuck…@Broncos @byesline @PetersenWill
Number 6:
THANK YOU WILL LUTZ WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK BRONCOS WIN
— Brandon 🇪🇸 (@ColoBrandoni23) November 14, 2023
Number 5:
Hell yeah boys!! Will Lutz with redemption! Zero to hero all in one night.
— Ben The_Lone_wolf #NFB (@TheLoneWolf_NFB) November 14, 2023
Broncos win baby!! #BroncosCountry
Number 4:
Will lutz you are going to hell
— basement show enjoyer (@NotVeeyet) November 14, 2023
Number 3:
Will Lutz being the hero in this game is hilarious
— Nicky (@NickyZzZz1) November 14, 2023
Number 2:
will lutz redemption arc goes crazy
— chocolate milk enthusiast✰ (@dillonsteffen69) November 14, 2023
Number 1:
Will Lutz is my hero
— ChicagoMuse (@ChicagoStatMuse) November 14, 2023
