Sean Payton slights officials after Broncos win over Cardinals

Sean Payton said he would never criticize the officials, and then he did.

The Broncos head coach was happy with Sunday’s 30-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium, where Denver’s offense finally looked like a real threat. However, one call from the opening drive seemed to still bother him enough to bring it up right after the game.

“I’m never gonna criticize the officials,” Sean Payton said. “The big play to RJ, I must be coaching it wrong. You know, I mean, that’s on me then.”

The play came on Denver’s first possession. Bo Nix hit RJ Harvey on a pass that took the Broncos to about the Arizona 1-yard line. A flag on tight end Adam Trautman, ruled offensive pass interference, wiped it out and pushed Denver back. Instead of first-and-goal, the Broncos settled for a 48-yard Wil Lutz field goal.

That wasn’t the only call Sean Payton and Denver didn’t like. The Broncos were penalized 11 times, and pass interference calls against Riley Moss and Brandon Jones each helped extend Arizona drives. Payton said he shared his frustration with the officials during the game.

“At some point I said, ‘If you guys are doing your best to tune the TV audience out, you know, you’re on a roll,'” Payton said. “But, fortunately we didn’t really look at that, and we just kept playing.”

The Broncos didn’t let it slow them down. With the game tied 6-6 midway through the second quarter, Arizona’s defense chased Denver’s receivers to one side of the field and left the middle open. Nix ran through it for a 62-yard touchdown and created a 13-6 halftime lead.

The big plays kept coming after halftime. Fullback Adam Prentice blocked a Cardinals punt, and three plays later Harvey turned a short screen into a 52-yard touchdown. After Arizona cut the lead to 20-13, Nix found Marvin Mims for 47 yards, and J.K. Dobbins scored from a yard out on the last play of the third quarter.

Nix finished 15-of-29 for 222 yards and a touchdown and added 74 rushing yards on seven carries. His 296 yards from scrimmage are a season high. That’s a welcome sight after weeks of criticism, and a week after offensive coordinator Davis Webb said Nix was “ready to go on a little run.”

Sean Payton is now 3-0 since taking back play-calling, and the Broncos are 5-2. This was the most complete offensive game Broncos Country has seen all season, even with a touchdown taken off the board on the first drive.

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos return home next week for an AFC West game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, Nov. 1, at 2:25 p.m. MT on CBS.

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