Broncos OC Shares Inside Take on Sean Payton’s Bold Philly Gamble

Just as my co-host and I surmised on the Mile High Huddle Podcast following the game, Payton's decision seemed like it was informed by the Broncos' Week 17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals last season. Similarly, the Broncos had just battled back to tie the game with very little time remaining and had momentum.

But instead of going for two and the win, Payton played for overtime, kicking the extra point. Joe Burrow and the Bengals came out on top.

Lombardi confirmed our suspicion. That Week 17 decision played a part in Payton's approach in Philly.

"The Cincinnati game might’ve been weighing on our minds a little bit like, ‘In retrospect, you wish we would’ve gone for two there.’ So felt good about the play, and Sean mentioned this is the World Champion," Lombardi said. "We’re probably the underdog in this game. You’ve got more to gain than to lose in those situations, so we are aggressive.”

Respecting the World Champs

Payton, pointing out to everyone in the heat of the moment that the Broncos had the chance to sink a dagger in the defending Super Bowl Champions and shock the NFL, may have been just what Lombardi and his fellow offensive staffers needed to hear to form that consensus.

Not only do we have a chance here, boys, but if we don't take it, it's the World Champs. The Eagles could battle back, so we've got to take our points when and where we can get them.

It was a risky decision, but as Lombardi said, the Broncos had everything to gain, and not much to lose, considering that few around the NFL picked them to upset the Eagles. It panned out for Payton, but had it not, he would have been crucified in the press for being reckless.

Granted, that two-point conversion wasn't the last time the Broncos would score in Philly. Thanks to some savvy playmaking by Nix and Courtland Sutton, and a sprinkling of grace from the Football Gods, the Broncos managed to put an additional field goal on the board, extending their lead to 21-17, the final score.

Caging the QB

Of course, the Broncos' defense had to do its part, and keep Jalen Hurts and the Eagles from scoring again. But Vance Joseph's unit executed his game plan perfectly, boxing Hurts in, forcing him to hold onto the ball, and not allowing him to leak out for big gains on the ground.

“I thought last week, we asked those guys to kind of rush together and kind of cage the quarterback. As a whole, we did that," Joseph said on Thursday. "That takes unselfish guys. We have great pass rushers that play with speed and play with counters. We asked them to rush together, and we did it."

Joseph's pass-rushing approach to Hurts is something that can serve the Broncos down the road against the NFL's top dual-threat quarterbacks. Most NFL teams struggle to walk that razor's edge of pressuring the quarterback without allowing him the space to create with his legs.

Everything came together for the Broncos in the fourth quarter. It was a complementary performance, and a signature win for Payton, even if former GM John Elway was reluctant to call a regular-season victory such a thing.

“Even though the Broncos made the playoffs last year, it’s been 2015 since we’ve been to a Super Bowl,” Elway told Forbes. “Working our way back to that, you don’t like to say regular-season games are signature wins, but I think with where the Broncos are, I think it’s as good a win for them as far as just confidence.”

You could say that again, Elway.

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