Alex Forsyth, center for the Denver Broncos, played his first start of the season in Thursday’s 20-13 win against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. This marked a significant moment for Forsyth, who faced criticism after last year’s blocked field-goal attempt in the same venue.
“This one is special,” Forsyth said. “I was just kind of flooded with emotions when I came in here, so it was great to have my teammates. They’ve been so supportive with everything that [happened in] last year’s game and supporting me after that and sticking up for me and sticking with me, most importantly.”
Forsyth played every offensive snap as he stepped in for Luke Wattenberg, who is on injured reserve. Quarterback Bo Nix praised Forsyth’s preparation: “I am super proud of him… I would say nobody prepares more in this league than he does. I think he is one of the most in-depth preparers I have ever seen. It is awesome to play behind him. I knew going into this game that he wasn’t going to leave a stone unturned. He prepares like no other, and he’s going to do his best to put the team in the best chance of succeeding.
“We all know what happened here last year and how much it hurt him and how much it meant to him. I think it’s just sort of a god wink that he got to come back here and start, and play the full game, and we get our first win here in a long time. I think he has earned that, and he definitely is well deserving of that game ball.”
The Broncos’ offense held possession for long stretches with three drives lasting at least eight minutes and four drives covering at least 14 plays. Forsyth learned only on Monday that he would be starting this week.
“They were great this week, just giving me confidence,” Forsyth said about his teammates’ support. “It’s not easy to get told you’re starting on a Monday and going in on a short week.”
Forsyth spoke about overcoming last year’s disappointment: “I’ve got to flush it and move on,” he said. “I can’t let a bad play ruin a career, especially not a game like this — not an important game like this. You try to put it away. Obviously, you never forget plays like that, but just try to flush it [and] just focus on the game.”
Head Coach Sean Payton commented on Forsyth’s performance: “I’ll tell you what was pretty impressive,” Payton said Thursday. “Alex came in and played really well, got a game ball. It was a tough trip home last year. It’s a little life lesson, for someone like him, to come back in a starting role. That was pretty cool.”
In addition to Forsyth’s story, rookie running back RJ Harvey continued his strong run by catching his fifth touchdown pass of the season during Thursday’s game.
“It was a very savvy move by him,” Nix said postgame about Harvey’s touchdown catch. “You can tell he has been in my shoes before throwing. He knows what it is like to find space. He is a really savvy football player. He does things a lot that are unteachable that he has in his toolbox. He does stuff like that all the time. It is just football savvy. It just worked where he bought some time in the end zone and made a good catch.”
Harvey joins Alvin Kamara and Gale Sayers as one of only three rookies since 1950 with at least seven rushing touchdowns and five receiving touchdowns in their debut season—a record also highlighted by his franchise-best five-game touchdown streak.
“Each and every week, my confidence is growing,” Harvey said.”… I’m not a rookie anymore.”
