Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton wished he had made a better play on the famous fourth down early in the 10-7 AFC Championship loss to the New England Patriots.
“Now, especially, on the fourth down. I don’t know which is the bigger regret — the decision, certainly the play call,” he said Tuesday via the team’s official transcript.
Facing 4th-and-1 from the Patriots’ 14-yard line after a Jarrett Stidham punt, Payton called a pass that was dead on arrival. The Patriots saddled the line and then squeezed the middle, taking away the QB sneak and the inside run. New England didn’t buy a fake play, as Cory Durden and Milton Williams pressured Stidham right away. At that point the QB was just trying to get rid of the ball. Pats corners played tight on the line and gave no chance to complete the pass.
“I think what upsets me more is the call more than the decision,” Payton said. “It’s still early in the game. Now we knew there was going to be an avalanche. Well, we have a new sense of avalanches here, or what can change at the bottom of the mountain. It’s those moments you wish you had again.”
The real kicker is that had Stidham been two or three yards shy on his first down, Payton’s decision might have been different. Maybe the Broncos have a 10-0 lead and when the “flume” comes they’re tied instead of trying to catch snow. Maybe the whole game unfolds differently.
Payton has no qualms about shouldering the criticism for the decision or the play call that may have cost the Broncos a chance to play for the Super Bowl.
“I don’t pay attention to all the criticism,” he said. “If I paid attention to it, I don’t know that we would ever be in this position.”