Sean Payton admits ‘tie element’ was why Broncos didn’t go for two

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton had a big decision to make on Saturday in Cincinnati.

He chose the conservative approach.

The Broncos lost to the Bengals in a heartbreaker in overtime by a final score of 30-24. It could’ve been a 25-24 Denver win, if Payton had gone for a two-point conversion with eight seconds left in the game.

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix hit wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. for a spectacular 25-yard touchdown on fourth-and-one. That made the score 24-23, with the clock nearly at zeroes.

And even though Nix held up two fingers like the Broncos were going for the win, Payton instead sent out kicker Wil Lutz for an extra point to send the game to overtime. The Mims catch was reviewed, so it gave Denver time to think about what they wanted to do.

After the loss, Payton was peppered with questions about his controversial choice. He gave a lengthy answer near the end of his press conference. The 9-7 Broncos could’ve made the playoffs with a tie against the Bengals, something Payton considered.

“We discussed it at length. Going into this game, tie, we knew all of that stuff. Everything down to the… A lot of it is your gut relative to how the toss goes. We were moving a little bit on offense, and then weighing the percentages of the two-point conversion. I think that had a lot do with it,” Payton said.

Well, Denver lost the coin toss but got a stop against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati offense. Unfortunately, the Broncos then went three-and out. The Bengals gifted the Broncos with a field goal off the uprights, but Nix and the offense went three-and-out again. Cincy won it in the final moments of OT on the third touchdown of the game from wide receiver Tee Higgins.

And after that, everyone was still wondering why Payton didn’t go for two with Denver’s destiny in its own hands.

“If the tie element didn’t sit in there, it probably would’ve been a little easier decision. I was comfortable with the decision. We had plenty of time with the decision,” Payton said.

So there you have it. Payton went to overtime because he knew a tie would’ve sent his team to the playoffs. Instead, the Broncos will have to win in Week 18 against the Chiefs, or a monumental collapse to miss the postseason is in play.

This decision by Sean Payton will be discussed over and over again for days, weeks and perhaps months to come. Ultimately, it was the wrong one.

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