Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks out on controversial call after devastating loss

Denver Broncos suffered a narrow defeat by the New England Patriots on Sunday as they missed out on the Super Bowl

Sean Payton admitted to regrets after his team’s loss (AP)

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has faced intense scrutiny after a controversial fourth-down decision during the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots, a move many believe cost his team a shot at Super Bowl 60.

With a blizzard looming over Empower Field at Mile High, Payton opted for an aggressive play rather than a seemingly straightforward field goal, a choice that ultimately backfired in Denver’s 10-7 defeat.

The Broncos had started strongly, with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, in his first completion in 749 days, connecting on a 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr., setting up Courtland Sutton’s 6-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.

Early in the second, Stidham again drove the Broncos deep into Patriots territory, reaching the 14-yard line. The stadium was buzzing with the prospect of the franchise’s ninth Super Bowl appearance and their first in a decade.

Facing fourth-and-1, Payton called a timeout. Instead of sending out Wil Lutz for a 31-yard field goal attempt – a kick two yards shorter than an extra point – Payton kept his offense on the field.

His initial thought was a run up the middle, leveraging the NFL’s highest-paid offensive line, which includes All-Pros Quinn Meinerz and Garett Bolles.

However, he ultimately chose a bootleg right for Stidham, a quarterback with just one career victory in six NFL seasons, to throw the ball. Stidham, under pressure, threw an incomplete pass at running back R.J. Harvey’s feet, missing an open Lil’Jordan Humphrey over the middle.

New England Patriots edged past Denver Broncos on Sunday (Getty)

The decision proved costly. Instead of a potential two-score lead against an opponent who had managed a mere 12 yards of offense at that point, the Broncos’ early momentum evaporated along with the first-half sunshine. They never again advanced inside the New England 30-yard line.

Reflecting on the moment, Payton admitted: "There will always be second thoughts. Hindsight, the initial run thought was a better decision. There’s always regrets. Look, I felt like here we are fourth-and-1. I felt close enough.

“Also, it’s a call you make based on the team you are playing and what you are watching on the other side of the ball. But, there will always be second thoughts."

The move has since drawn widespread criticism from pundits and commentators.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland lambasted the decision, stating: "Go up 10-0. Keep the momentum. Because you did your homework before the game. You knew the weather was going to turn nasty.

“Even though Wil Lutz is a good kicker, it was going to be tough to kick in inclement weather. I thought this was a poor coaching decision and move by Sean Payton."

McFarland added, "If you’re going to go for it, how about run the ball? I mean, it’s fourth and 3 feet. Or a 31-yard field goal. Instead, you go reverse-pivot with a quarterback making his first start."

Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl dreams are over for another year (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Fox Sports NFL analyst Mark Schlereth, who was in Peyton Manning’s suite during the game, recounted that he, Manning, Mike Shanahan, and Brandon Stokley all expected Payton to send out his kicker.

"You’ve got a backup quarterback, you’ve got a chance to go up 10-0 and your defence is balling out of control," Schlereth said.

"All of us were in agreement at that point: just kick the field goal, just kick the field goal. And you come out with a little roll-out pass and it was a debacle to begin with."

The trend of NFL coaches increasingly opting for fourth-down conversions was highlighted by host Dan Patrick, noting that coaches are 25 of 51 in the playoffs so far.

Patrick questioned whether the data supporting such decisions adequately considers factors like the quarterback, opponent, conditions, and game time.

Schlereth, an advocate for traditional football wisdom over analytics, remarked: "Math has never made a tackle. Math has never blocked anybody. Math has never done any of that stuff. … So to me, that math is faulty.

“And you’ve got to have a feel of the game and I thought Sean made a major gaffe not kicking that field goal. But that has become endemic of the league in general. It’s almost like you’re a coward if you kick a field goal. And I hate the momentum shift. I hate it all. Like, take the points."

McFarland also pointed to a similar decision by Rams coach Sean McVay in the NFC championship, where he went for it on fourth-and-4 instead of a chip-shot field goal, ultimately leading to a loss. McFarland argued that taking the points would have shifted pressure back onto the opposing team.