Broncos’ Sean Payton Admits He Regrets 4th Down Call Against Patriots

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton admitted he has some regrets on his 5th-and-1 call in the second quarter.

With Denver up 7-0, the Broncos were at the New England Patriots’ 14-yard line with just over nine minutes to go in the first half. Denver opted to get aggressive instead of taking a 10-0 lead, and quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw an incomplete pass.

Payton said the plan was originally to run it, but after taking a timeout, he decided to make it a pass play, which didn’t work out.

“I just felt like, man, we had momentum, to get up 14 (points), felt like we had a good call,” Payton said postgame on Sunday. “I think the feeling was, man, let’s be aggressive. You know, to get up 14, I was just watching the way our defense was playing.”

After Denver ended up losing the AFC Championship Game 10-7, Payton admits there are some regrets.

“There’s always regrets,” Payton said. “I felt like here we are fourth-and-1, close enough and it’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, there’ll always be second thoughts.”

Payton believes the run call was the better call, but it’s a decision he has to live with. He also blamed himself for the loss to the Patriots.

“We didn’t score enough points and capitalize on that field position,” Payton said. “Starts with the head coach and rest of our staff.”

The Patriots will now go on to face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl LX.