Broncos HC Sean Payton Addresses Play-Calling vs. Bills

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton was largely pleased with his offensive play-calling in last week's Divisional Round playoff victory over the Buffalo Bills. Emphasis on "largely."

“I felt clear. Red zone pissed me off a little bit, but no, I felt crystal clear," Payton told reporters after the game.

Holding the ball for a little more than 29 minutes, the Broncos' offense amassed 349 total yards and 22 first downs across 13 drives. Quarterback Bo Nix finished as both their leading passer (279 yards) and leading rusher (29 yards) despite playing the final few plays of the 33-30 overtime win on a fractured ankle.

Nine different receivers caught passes against the Bills' top-ranked secondary, including a team-high eight receptions by Marvin Mims and three grabs by Lil'Jordan Humphrey. Mims and Humphrey snagged two of Nix's three touchdown tosses.

This, the result of two weeks' worth of gameplanning due to the Broncos' Wild Card bye — and a reflective Payton devising the call sheet.

“Just talking about it and getting a good night’s rest two nights in a row," he explained. "Then I think one of the things we tried to do is reduce the plan so that we had more reps at it. I thought when you lose two receivers, you understand the work week. Like [WR] Troy [Franklin] might’ve gotten all these third-down throws that immediately become [WR Marvin] Mims [Jr.], or [WR] Pat [Bryant] is getting all these plays, and now ‘L.J.’ (WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey) gets in there. Then he comes up with a huge play for us. I mean, yes, that was something that was a big score. Then when you think about that, then the fumble, there’s a fast 10 [points] before you get out of your seat at halftime. That probably was the difference in the game, but really, that happened quick.”

As Payton mentioned, the one area where his offense failed was in the red zone, converting only one of four trips into touchdowns. They instead were forced to rely on kicker Wil Lutz, who made all four of his field goal attempts throughout the contest.

That will need to be a point of emphasis for Payton and company as the Broncos ready to host MVP candidate Drake Maye and the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship — especially with backup QB Jarrett Stidham now under center.

"The plan always has to be built around the type and the skill set of the players you’re playing with," Payton said after beating the Bills. "So are there certain things that [QB] Bo [Nix] does differently than ‘Stiddy’ (QB Jarrett Stdham)? Absolutely. That’s where the work begins tonight.”

On the Mims TD ...