Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton faced criticism for his game management following a 34-27 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last Thursday.
One of Payton’s decision that was questioned was his opting to throw while leading by 11 points deep in his own territory with 41 seconds until halftime. That decision backfired as Denver ended up punting and the Chargers scored three points after a penalty on the punt.
During his conference call with reporters on Monday, Payton defended his play-calling before halftime.
“So much was made — I thought one of the dumber storylines was the end of the half in regards to us being aggressive with 41 seconds, two timeouts,” Payton said. “We punt the ball, [and] the half is over with.
“I read more stuff that I just looked at and thought, ‘This is garbage.’ Number one, it didn’t shift the momentum. We got the ball back to start the second half, went down the field [and] kicked a field goal. We were back up 11.”
Sean Payton: The last minute of the first half that ended with the fair-catch free-kick field goal “didn’t shift the momentum” in Thursday’s loss. That notion — as well as the questions about being “aggressive” late in 2Q — are “garbage,” he says.
“One of the dumber storylines… pic.twitter.com/3HpqbFUlDJ
— Andrew Mason (@MaseDenver) December 22, 2024
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix defended the decision after the game.
“Well, we had about 45 seconds and two timeouts and I think every offense in the league is trying to go score,” Nix said last Thursday.
Payton and Nix will attempt to bounce back from last week’s loss when they go on the road to face the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17. Denver needs one more win to clinch a spot in the NFL playoffs.
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