Sean Payton price Broncos with baffling teaching choices
The Denver Broncos solely wanted a win or a tie on Saturday towards the Cincinnati Bengals to clinch their first playoff look because the 2015 season.
They ended up getting neither, and head coach Sean Payton is without doubt one of the largest culprits of their failure to take action.
Payton made a number of baffling teaching choices in crunch time that ended up costing the Broncos an opportunity to lock up their playoff spot in what turned out to be a 30-24 extra time loss.
It now leaves the Broncos in a scenario the place they need to beat the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs in Week 18 to get in. Regardless that the Chiefs may have nothing to play for, that’s nonetheless not going to be a simple recreation.
Payton’s first questionable resolution got here on the finish of regulation when he kicked an additional level after Marvin Mims’ landing with eight seconds remaining as an alternative of attempting to go for a possible game-winning two-point conversion.
Whereas there isn’t a assure the Broncos shall be profitable in the event that they go for 2, there was loads of cause to no less than strive it.
Not solely as a result of the Bengals protection was nonetheless seemingly surprised given what simply occurred on the earlier play, but in addition as a result of Denver would have solely wanted to get two yards towards one of many worst defenses in soccer. With a cellular quarterback in Bo Nix and a complete playbook at their disposal, that was most likely the trail of least resistance for a win.
Payton opted to kick the additional level, understanding {that a} tie may nonetheless clinch them a playoff spot.
However that places much more transferring components into the scenario and in addition places strain on the Broncos protection to try to cease one of many NFL’s finest offenses.
In the long run, Denver did truly get a cease and get the ball again. However after failing to attain, it put the Broncos’ protection again on the sphere, the place Payton would find yourself making his costliest and indefensible choices of the evening.
With the sport now in a sudden-death spot the place the subsequent crew to attain would win, Payton inexplicably used each of his timeouts after the Bengals bought themselves into area aim vary with lower than three minutes to play in extra time.
There was no cause for Payton to have an incentive to cease the clock at that time within the recreation.
If the Bengals rating, the sport is over, and the Broncos should not going to get the soccer again.
If the Bengals didn’t rating, the Broncos would have wished as a lot time to run off the clock as potential as a result of they might not want to attain at that time. The clock would have been virtually meaningless. A tie would have been sufficient.
In the long run, the Bengals didn’t rating as a result of Cade York missed a chip-shot area aim, giving the Broncos the ball again with simply over two minutes to play. A primary down would have ended it and given the Broncos an opportunity to kneel on the ball for a tie. Even when they didn’t get the primary down, three runs and a punt may have left the Bengals in a scenario the place that they had virtually no time and no timeouts to get into area aim vary.
By stopping the clock twice, and mixed with an incomplete move by Denver on third down, it gave the Bengals sufficient time to maneuver down the sphere and rating.
The gamers on the sphere nonetheless need to make performs. They didn’t make sufficient. However it’s also on the pinnacle coach to place his gamers in the very best place to make performs and succeed. Payton failed to do this in some large moments on Saturday. Given how a lot the Broncos invested in him (each by way of draft decide compensation to accumulate him and financially), they need to count on higher from him in massive video games.
