Sean Payton is often mentioned among the best coaches in the NFL and that has been the case for quite some time. Though his time with the Denver Broncos has been short, he has left much to be desired. One of his final decisions in the waning moments of a 13-6 home loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday was just atrocious.
The Broncos sat on a zero on their scoreboard for much of this game but they did make some plays to rally in the fourth quarter. A second Wil Lutz field goal cut the lead to 13-6 with 1:54 to play. The onside kick was coming next, right?
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Wrong.
Here was Payton's explanation of the decision:
Simple math should tell you that your odds are so much worse to play it that way, Sean.
Despite having only one timeout to use and being on the wrong side of the two-minute warning, Payton chose to kick the ball off. The announcers calling the game were as perplexed as any savvy fan watching the game. What is the best-case scenario for you here, Sean?
The Broncos were able to get the Steelers off the field but precious seconds ticked off the clock in the process. After a 54-yard punt by former Bronco Corliss Waitman and just a 9-yard return by Marvin Mims Jr., the Broncos had the ball on their own 19-yard line with only nine seconds to play.
Good luck with that.
Sean Payton deciding against an onside kick is a good example of you either die a hero or you live long enough to become the villain
— Tate Frazier (@tatefrazier) September 15, 2024
The Broncos legitimately had a hard time getting first downs in this game but for whatever reason, the "genius" that is Payton felt the team had a better chance to go 80 yards in nine seconds with no timeouts than to recover an onside kick.
This was just ridiculous and it will probably be one of those things that gets lost in the shuffle while talking about how poor the Broncos played in this game. But Payton should be called out for this terrible choice by any analyst who discusses this game.
It was hard to watch some of the bad clock-management decisions made by Vic Fangio and Nathaniel Hackett in recent years but for Payton, a Super Bowl-winning head coach, this was just inexcusable.
