Broncos coach Vic Fangio defends not using timeouts on Titans’ winning drive

Broncos coach Vic Fangio walked off the field Monday night following a 16-14 loss to the Tennessee Titans with two timeouts in his pocket.

Why not use them as the Titans were moving into field goal position?

That was a talking point for Fangio after the Broncos couldn’t hold a one-point lead.

The Titans ran 12 plays (moving 83 yards) over 2 minutes, 48 seconds, and Stephen Gostkowski’s 25-yard field goal that left 17 seconds on the clock was the winner.

By the time the Broncos got the ball back, they had time for only three plays — a long Drew Lock incompletion that was nearly intercepted, an 18-yard catch by DaeSean Hamilton and another Lock incompletion as time expired.

“It was two-fold there,” Fangio said of electing not to use any of his timeouts on the Titans’ final drive. “One, their field goal kicker had obviously been having his problems so I didn’t want to extend the drive to where they could get closer.

“And we would have used a timeout but we got the running back out of bounds, and we would have used the second timeout, but they threw an incompletion.”

Gostkowski had missed three field goals and one point-after attempt before his winner.

Breaking down the Titans’ final drive to see where Fangio could have stopped the clock.

*Before the two-minute warning. On the Titans’ fourth play, Ryan Tannehill threw six yards to running back Derrick Henry. The play ended at the 2:16 mark. It might have made sense for Fangio to use his first timeout then. He didn’t and the Titans didn’t snap it until 2:01.

*After the two-minute warning, part 1. After an incompletion and a pass interference penalty on cornerback Michael Ojemudia, both of which stopped the clock, Tannehill threw six yards to Adam Humphries. The play was over at the 1:47 mark. Fangio didn’t call timeout and the Titans snapped it again at 1:34.

*After the two-minute warning, part 2. On the next play, Henry rumbled for 13 yards on second-and-4 to the Broncos’ 16. The play was over at 1:28. Again, Fangio didn’t call timeout and the Titans snapped it at 49 seconds — masterful clock management by a veteran quarterback (Tannehill).

*After the two-minute warning, part 3. Henry gained four yards to the Broncos’ 12. The play was over at 46 seconds. Fangio didn’t call a timeout as the clock wound down, but Titans coach Mike Vrabel called one at the 30-second mark.

*As Fangio pointed out, the Titans’ final two plays from scrimmage ended up the clock stopping — Henry running out of bounds and Tannehill throwing incomplete.

The Broncos could have used some additional time to get into field goal range.