Broncos head coach Sean Payton pulled off one of the most memorable onside kicks in history while coaching the Saints in the Super Bowl, but he passed on a chance to try one against the Steelers on Sunday.
The Broncos cut Pittsburgh’s lead to 13-6 with 1:54 left to play in the game and one timeout in their pocket. Payton opted to kick deep and the Broncos wound up getting the ball back on their 19-yard-line with eight seconds left in the loss.
At his postgame press conference, Payton was asked why he made that choice.
“We spent a lot of time going through it, back-and-forth,” Payton said. “We had plenty of time to discuss it. There was a player down. We felt like our odds — the long run on third down prior to them punting took about six seconds. We were hopeful to have 2-3 plays before we went to the end zone. It was just weighing the odds versus recovering an onside kick or getting the ball back with 26 seconds, so we chose to kick off.”
The running play by Steelers quarterback Justin Fields cost some time, but the punt came with 18 seconds left so punt returner Marvin Mims’ decision to return the ball cost more time with a low likelihood of breaking free for a touchdown.
Neither answer was a great one for Payton, which underscores the need for the team to find better offensive production to avoid similar situations in the future.
