Here’s how a penalty for leverage cost the Broncos a game against the Colts

INDIANAPOLIS — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton sounded content to let others debate Sunday’s leverage call against linebacker Dondrea Tillman.

Payton wanted no part of it. And neither did the rest of the Broncos.

Shortly after the Colts’ Spencer Shrader missed a 60-yard field-goal try that would have won the game — only to redeem himself with a second chance from 15 yards closer because of the penalty — Payton and his players blamed themselves, not the officials, for Denver’s 29-28 loss.

“You go from feeling like you’ve just escaped after our errors,” said Bo Nix, who threw three touchdown passes in the first half. “I always hate putting the game in the officials’ hands. We gave them an opportunity, and they called it at the end. Sometimes, it just doesn’t go your way.”

The leverage rule says a player can’t use a teammate or opponent to vault himself into the air to try and block a kick.

Regardless of Tillman’s intent, that’s how the officiating crew saw it.

“As a defender, you’re not allowed to place your hand on an opponent or a teammate and push off to propel yourself into the air to block a kick,” referee Craig Wrolstad told a pool reporter. “In this case, No. 92 (Tillman) came across the line to the right guard and he puts his hand on the right guard and pushed off him to elevate himself in order to block the kick. You’re not allowed to do that.”

There’s bound to be plenty of chatter about whether the officials were right to penalize Tillman. But the Broncos certainly had plenty of chances to put away a game that featured only three punts — all by Denver.

One scoring chance slipped away when Nix was picked off by Cam Bynum inside the Colts 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Another vanished when Broncos kicker Wil Lutz clanked a 42-yard field goal attempt off the right upright with 3:15 to go, setting up Indy’s final drive.

Denver went scoreless for the final 26 minutes, 15 seconds.

“It’s disappointing. Every player has to look in the mirror and think of ways to help this team get better,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “There’s no way we should have lost this game. We had six or seven opportunities in the second half to put it away. But we didn’t.”

For Colts fans, the decisive call brought back memories of a walk-off moment from the 2003 season. In a Monday night game at Tampa Bay, Indy rallied from a 21-point deficit in the final five minutes to force overtime and won 38-35 when Mike Vanderjagt missed a medium-range field goal, only to get a second chance when Buccaneers defensive lineman Simeon Rice was called for leaping. The 15-yard penalty set up an easy, game-ending 29-yarder.

This time, with the Colts needing a field goal to win, coach Shane Steichen played it conservatively.

He ran the ball seven times on the eight plays preceding Spencer’s first kick, and when Jonathan Taylor was tackled for a loss on third down, it meant Shrader’s first attempt would come from 60 yards. His previous career long was 45 yards, and the franchise record of 58 has stood since 1962.

When Shrader’s first kick fell short, the Broncos celebrated — until they saw the flag.

“Look, we understand the rule,” Payton said. “You can’t do that to the long snapper. You can’t grab and pull guys down. And you can’t push off another player.”

And Shrader made the Broncos pay.

“I looked up, I saw it going through and it was like — bang,” he said. “It was just joy. That’s the only emotion that you’re feeling.”