Broncos Can’t Kick About 30-24 Victory

The unknown snowball thrower was all but forgotten here Sunday. In his place came Dennis Smith and Louis Wright to throw Mile High Stadium into another frenzy of disbelief.

Only six days earlier an unidentified fan’s well-aimed snowball foiled a field goal by the San Francisco 49ers, and thus helped the Denver Broncos to a 17-16 win.

This time, the Broncos did it mostly on their own, with maybe a little divine intervention thrown in. They beat the San Diego Chargers, 30-24, in overtime, thanks to a couple of blocked field goals by Smith and a 60-yard return by Wright.

The win kept the Broncos (8-3) atop the AFC West and left the Chargers (5-6) in the desperate position of having to win their final five games to have a shot at a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

The central figure was Smith, a fifth-year pro from USC, where he earned four letters as a safety in football and three more as a 7-foot high jumper in track.

After establishing his presence by blocking a Bob Thomas field-goal attempt in the first quarter, Smith became the focal point of an overtime that saw the Broncos become the fourth team in NFL history to win without its offense touching the ball.

Thomas and the Chargers lined up to try a 40-yard field goal after a five-minute drive at the outset of overtime.

But as Thomas swung his foot into the ball, Smith, Wright and Daniel Hunder were rushing past a group of Charger blockers to swat down the ball before it was six feet off the ground.

Then came a groan of dismay from every Bronco fan shivering in an orange or blue parka. A Denver player, Mike Harden, had asked for timeout after noticing Coach Dan Reeves waving frantically to get the clock stopped.

But the Broncos really had the odds in their favor, according to Smith. “After I blocked one earlier, the Chargers were kind of paranoid,” he said.

“I felt that whichever way they blocked, we had a good chance at blocking the kick. They were concerned about stopping Daniel Hunter, and I was able to get through a seam between the wing and the tight end. The ball hit me right on the arm.”

Wright scooped up the ball and was gone, ending a game that had begun with a 98-yard kickoff return by San Diego’s Gary Anderson.

“I just followed the bouncing ball right into the end zone,” Wright said.

The Chargers, who defeated the Raiders, 40-34, in overtime a week ago, were stunned.

They had rallied to take a 24-21 lead with 1:18 left in regulation on a short run by Tim Spencer which had been set up when Wayne Davis blocked a Denver punt.

The Broncos forced an overtime with a well-executed drive that resulted in a 34-yard field goal by Rich Karlis with five seconds remaining in regulation.

The Broncos, 8-1-1 in overtime games, took what they wanted after Dan Fouts moved the Chargers into position for Thomas’ field-goal attempt in overtime.

The Chargers were unable to account for what hit them.

“The timing was good on both of the last field goal attempts,” Thomas said. “I hit the first one well, but I’m glad Denver called timeout after it was blocked.

“I thought I hit the second one better, and I don’t know where the guy came from to block it. I played in Chicago for 10 years against Minnesota teams that were great at blocking kicks, but I never had three blocked in one game.”

It hadn’t been a particularly easy afternoon for Fouts, who described the Denver defense as the best-coached he’s ever seen.

The Chargers held a 14-7 lead when fumbles by Fouts and Anderson cost the Chargers two touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes early in the fourth quarter.

Until that sequence, it appeared the San Diego defense might have the kind of day it enjoyed in a 30-10 win over Denver two weeks ago.

And after the Anderson run, the Chargers didn’t come close to matching their form of last week, when they amassed nearly 600 yards against the Raiders.

Fouts threw two interceptions, one by Wright which the Broncos converted into Elway’s four-yard touchdown pass to Steve Watson to tie the score, 7-7.

The Chargers regained the lead on a six-yard pass from Fouts to Lionel James.

The San Diego defense managed to stave off a Bronco threat that reached the 10-yard-line in the third period when Karlis missed a 31-yard field goal try.

The Broncos got another chance when Anderson fumbled on a hit by Karl Mecklenburg, with Rubin Carter recovering at the San Diego 14. The Broncos tied the game, 14-14, on a two-yard run by Gene Lang.

On San Diego’s next series, Fouts fumbled and Andre Townsend fell on it at the Charger 19.

Lang broke a draw play 15 yards to the four, then burst over tackle to put the Broncos ahead, 21-14, early in the fourth quarter.

The Chargers drove 61 yards for a 36-yard field goal by Thomas to close within four points with 10 minutes left.

After that, as Smith said, it got bizarre.