The Denver Broncos appeared to defeat the Indianapolis Colts 28-26 in Week 2 of the 2025 NFL regular season. Colts kicker Spencer Shrader missed a 60-yard kick and time expired. However, the play was nullified due to a leverage penalty on Denver. On the following play, Shrader nailed the 55-yard do-over field goal, giving the Colts the 29-28 victory.
Bo Nix and Sean Payton looked on in disbelief as the win was yanked away from Denver. What is a leverage penalty, and what are the rules associated with it? Here’s everything you need to know about the controversial call.
Explaining the NFL’s Leverage Penalty
The NFL rulebook defines leverage as “a defensive player jumping or standing on a teammate or an opponent to block or attempt to block an opponent’s kick.”
Wow… the Broncos lose the game because they’re flagged for ‘leverage’. Colts get a second kick from a closer distance and make it. pic.twitter.com/Yvk56gxuqt
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 14, 2025
The leverage penalty is not to be confused with leaping, which bans a player from jumping over linemen on kick attempts. The practice was popular for a few years and led to several spectacular blocked kicks, but it posed a player safety risk for scenarios where the leaper didn’t actually clear the line.
Although the leverage penalty is rare, it’s not unheard of. On Oct. 20, 2024, the Pittsburgh Steelers were called for a leverage penalty on Sunday Night Football against the New York Jets. In that game, Minkah Fitzpatrick was called for a leverage penalty on a blocked extra point.
The Steelers were actually the third team called for leveraging at that point in the 2024 NFL season, along with the Las Vegas Raiders (in Week 5 vs. the Broncos) and New England Patriots (in Week 3 vs. the Jets).
The Steelers themselves had actually been called for leveraging in three straight seasons, including against the Jets in 2022 and against the Raiders during the 2023 season. So, if any team should have been aware of the subtleties of the rule, it probably should have been Pittsburgh.
Now, Sean Payton’s Broncos are the latest team to deal with this controversial penalty, and in this instance, it cost them a huge win over the Colts.
Shrader went from costing Indianapolis a victory to being the game’s hero in a matter of seconds. He finished the game a perfect five-of-five on his field goals, while also hitting both of his extra points. The Colts are now 2-0 and look like one of the biggest early-season surprises, while the Broncos drop to 1-1 in controversial fashion.
The bronco player did not use the center for leverage. He merely touched his back lightly. He did not push him down or use him to jump. The call was bogus.