Vic Fangio explains what happened with his heated exchange with Brandon McManus on the sideline

LAS VEGAS — With 19 seconds left in the third quarter, the Denver Broncos had an opportunity to take a two-point lead against the Las Vegas Raiders in a win-or-go-home game for Denver’s season.

Spoiler alert, the Broncos’ playoff hopes all but ended just over 15 football minutes after that play.

After a 3rd-and-7 completion from Drew Lock to Courtland Sutton fell three yards short of the first down, Vic Fangio sent Brandon McManus out for a 55-yard field goal to take a 16-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Despite nailing 49 and 55-yard field goals in the second quarter, McManus’ kick flew wide left of the upright.

Denver didn’t take the lead.

And on his way back to the sideline after shanking the kick, McManus and Fangio exchanged heated words on the sideline. Each was visually upset as they barked words at one another.

After Denver’ 17-13 loss, Fangio downplayed the exchange between the two.

“They were late spotting the ball,” the head coach stated, putting the frustration between the two Broncos on the officials. “I wasn’t sure if it was fourth-and-1, fourth-and-2, fourth-and-3. They were late putting the ball down, it happened on the other sideline. It put a delay in the action and Brandon was a little upset that he didn’t know early enough to go out there.”

Once the officials had declared it was 4th-and-3, Fangio was seen on the sideline calling for the field-goal unit with 28 seconds left on the play clock. McManus was set in his pre-snap position on the field with a few seconds before the snap. And the kick sailed and sailed left.

“There was nothing anyone could do, not his fault, not my fault. We didn’t know the down and distance, whether it was fourth-and-1/2 a yard, or whatever it was,” Fangio continued to explain, downplaying the exchange. “If it was a yard or less, I was going to go for it and we had to wait for the spot.”

Nothing to see here, the head coach attempted to convey, despite a very different situation unraveling on the field.

Not only did the missed field goal lead to visual frustration between the head coach and kicker, it previewed the way the fourth quarter would unfold for Denver.

The Broncos remained down 13-12.

The missed field goal set up the Raiders to go 32 yards and kick a game-clinching field goal.

Denver’s defense was unable to stop Las Vegas’ rushing attack as they drained the clock and drained the Broncos’ postseason hopes.

Although Fangio downplayed the heated sideline exchange, the visual frustration encapsulated the emotions on Sunday as Denver’s season all but ended.