For all of the praise that’s been heaped on Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton for being an “offensive genius” in 2 decades as an NFL head coach, the thing that might follow him for the rest of his days might be his decision not to do the simplest thing in football: Take the points.
Payton’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-1 at the New England Patriots 14-yard line in the second quarter instead of kicking a 31-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead in the AFC Championship Game ended up being the difference for the Broncos in a 10-7 loss that cost them a spot in Super Bowl LX.
Instead, Payton and the Broncos attempted a short pass to rookie running back RJ Harvey that fell incomplete.
Broncos kicker Wil Lutz was 11-of-11 on field goals from 30 to 39 yards during the regular season. He also would have gotten the chance to kick before a massive snowstorm engulfed the stadium.
“I just thought we had momentum, and if we could go up 14 that it would be a good call,” Payton said after the game. “Early, when we had the momentum, we didn’t come away with enough, having had that momentum and that field position.”
On Denver’s next drive, quarterback Jarrett Stidham fumbled deep in Broncos’ territory to set up a 6-yard touchdown run by Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
“This will definitely go down as the WORST decision of Sean Payton’s career,” NFL reporter John Frascella wrote on X. “Horrible decision, horrible playcall, horrible result… may have cost the Broncos their entire season.”
Backlash Comes for Broncos, Payton Over Decision
The backlash for the Broncos making the call came fast and furious online.
“Good thing not kicking that FG didn’t come back to haunt Sean Payton,” NFL correspondent Annie Agar wrote on her official X account after the game.
“Sean Payton not taking the points to go 10-0 with his backup QB set the stage for all of this,” ESPN’s Jake Asman wrote on X. “Brutal.”
“4th and less than a yard and Broncos go for it instead of kicking a field goal,” Rate the Refs wrote on X. “They decided a roll out right pass play with Stidham was better than a run when they are averaging 3.3 yards per rush this game … “
“Denver becomes another team to go for it on 4th down instead of taking the easy points & then losing,” Robert Desimone wrote on his official X account. “You have an elite defense at home with a backup QB, playing against a young QB that was scoreless with 12 yards in 3 drives. Whatever the analytics algorithm these coaches are following is wrong & broken.”
“Sean Payton should’ve taken the points before the weather worsened,” NFL reporter Sean A. Malcom wrote on X. “But he wanted to be cute because he’s been dining off that surprise onside kick in the Super Bowl for over a decade.”
Super Bowl Drought Hits Decade for Broncos
The Broncos were trying to make it back to the Super Bowl for the first time since the 2015 season, when they won Super 50 in legendary quarterback Peyton Manning’s final NFL game.
The Broncos went 14-3 in the regular season to clinch the No. 1 seed in the AFC but played the AFC Championship Game without quarterback Bo Nix, who broke his ankle in the AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills.
