Broncos coach Sean Payton knows how the game is played. When he opened the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with a surprise onside kick that worked, Payton was lauded.
When the Broncos lost to the Bengals in overtime after not attempting a two-point conversion at the end of regulation, Payton was second guessed.
Payton said immediately after the 30-24 loss that it was the “right” call to tie the game with a PAT following Marvin Mims’ touchdown with eight seconds left.
On Monday, Payton left room to “second guess.”
“Oh, certainly, you go through it all the time relative to what the call would have been [for the two-point play],” he said, via Nick Kosmider of TheAthletic.com. “Based on the outcome, you always second guess. You always do that as a head coach. I trusted my gut at the moment but, yeah, I think it’s normal to do that.”
Joe Burrow threw a 3-yard touchdown to Tee Higgins with 1:07 remaining in overtime when a tie would have clinched a playoff berth for the Broncos. That played a role into Payton’s decision-making.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix held up two fingers after throwing the touchdown, but during a lengthy replay of Mims’ score, Payton changed his mind.
The Broncos still will clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2015 if they beat the Chiefs in the regular-season finale. A loss would require both the Bengals and Dolphins to lose in Week 18 for the Broncos to make the playoff field.
The Chiefs have nothing to play for and will rest some of their starters Sunday.
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