Everything from dubious decision-making to a failed kick that wasn’t counted occurred in the last 30 seconds.

On Monday night in Buffalo, the Broncos stunned the Bills with a 24-22 upset victory to cap off Week 10 of the NFL season. Even though Wil Lutz’s 36-yard field goal on the game’s last play doesn’t seem particularly dramatic, there was plenty of drama leading up to and during the triumph.

Let’s actually analyse every mistake that both sides made in the last thirty seconds of the game.

1. Bills get called for pass interference. With the Bills ahead 22–21, it appeared as though they would prevail. The Broncos faced a third-and-10 at Buffalo’s 45-yard line with just 35 seconds remaining in the game, meaning they were out of field goal range. Russell Wilson prayed for an answer on the third down play when Taron Johnson was flagged for a 28-yard pass interference penalty.

With just 29 seconds remaining, the Broncos got the ball at Buffalo’s 17-yard line thanks to the penalty.

2. Broncos decide to kneel the ball. The Broncos had the ball at the 17 and were about to try a 35-yard field goal, but Sean Payton made the decision to kneel the ball in order to eat up time. Wilson took a knee on three consecutive plays, moving the field goal attempt back to 41 yards. Considering how windy it was during the game, this was undoubtedly a dubious choice.

In addition to the wind, Lutz had previously missed an opportunity for an extra point early in the contest. You want to give your kicker the best shot you can in a situation like that. When attempting a kick between 40 and 43 yards, rival kickers have only hit 75% of their field goals in Buffalo during the previous five years. Yes, there is a significant difference between trying a 35-yard kick and a 41-yard kick; nevertheless, that percentage drops to 91.7% when attempting a kick between 35 and 39 yards.

3. Sean Payton calls for a mayday field goal. In addition to delaying the field goal attempt by six yards, Payton signalled a mayday field goal. When it’s fourth down and you run out of timeouts, this is what happens: With the clock ticking down, the field goal team needs to get onto the field quickly. Your kicker is not in the best of circumstances right now. There were 22 seconds remaining after Wilson took a knee on third down, which gave the Broncos 22 seconds to get the field goal unit on the field. Following that, the snapper, holder, and kicker need to confirm that they are all in agreement.

4. Wil Lutz misses the kick. The kicker is in a hurry when a mayday field goal is called, so he doesn’t have as much time as usual to line up his kick. That turned out to be a problem for Lutz, as he MISSED his 41-yard field goal attempt. Positioned on the right hash, Lutz booted the ball straight, missing the mark by around one foot. Payton could have had Wilson spike the ball on third down instead of putting his kicker in a mayday scenario. This would have made life simpler for Lutz, but it would have probably left the Bills with approximately fifteen seconds remaining to attempt and win the game.

5. Bills bail out Payton. Payton made a dubious judgement, but it didn’t affect the Broncos in the end because the Bills made an even larger mistake. Because the Bills were flagged for having 12 players on the pitch, Lutz’s missed attempt was not considered. Given how confused the Bills appeared to be by all the turmoil on the field, it’s plausible that calling for a mayday field goal really benefited the Broncos.

6. Lutz makes the kick. Lutz was given another chance to try a 36-yard field goal after the penalty was called off, and he made it this time, giving the Broncos a 24-22 victory.

The last thirty seconds were basically mayhem. You may watch the video below to see how this all worked out.