HC Sean Payton’s aggressiveness can be a gift and a curse

On a frigid Christmas Eve in 2023, the Broncos tried to keep their playoff hopes alive against the New England Patriots when Sean Payton lost his temper. Denver’s head coach was ultra-aggressive in the latter stages of the game, burning timeouts and giving the Patriots the chance to drive down the field to convert a game-winning field goal.

A year later, in Los Angeles, the Broncos were once again faced with a high-stakes situation. And once again, Payton went too far.

Sure, you can blame the seven penalties or Denver’s inability to cover the middle of the field for its 34-27 loss to the Chargers. But as the Broncos eyed an opportunity to end their eight-year playoff drought, Payton gave Los Angeles an opening.

After Denver totaled 73 yards on 11 carries on its first two drives, both ending in touchdowns, the Broncos abandoned the ground game. Up by 11 points with 41 seconds left in the first half, Payton opted to throw the ball on consecutive plays deep in his own territory. Bo Nix’s first attempt ended in a 3-yard loss, while the second pass to running back Javonte Williams was incomplete. Denver’s three-and-out led to a punt, a 15-yard interference penalty on cornerback Tremo Smith and an obscure free kick from kicker Cameron Dicker — the start of a 24-game drive -6 from the Chargers to close the game.

In two seasons as Denver’s head coach, Payton’s aggressiveness has been both a gift and a curse. Although he used this mindset to his advantage at times, there were also times when it cost his team, leading to some tough in-game decisions, especially in big moments.

Players have repeatedly said how much they love it when Payton gets aggressive and takes risks. It is a sign of trust between the coach and his players. This was on display earlier in the season against Tampa Bay when Payton’s offense threw itself at the Buccaneers early. Nix completed a 22-yard back shoulder toss to Sutton on the very first play of the game, then dropped the ball near the sideline to Josh Reynolds for a 31-yard gain. Four plays later, Nix crossed the goal line for a 3-yard touchdown that sparked a commanding 26-7 victory.

In the Week 9 loss to the Ravens, Payton had receiver Courtland Sutton throw a touchdown pass to Nix despite being in tight coverage. And Nix’s best throw of the season wouldn’t have happened if Payton hadn’t trusted the rookie signal-caller to thread the needle between two defenders and receiver Marvin Mims Jr. for a 93-yard touchdown on the victory on Monday evening. Cleveland in Week 13.

At the same time, there is another side to all these bets. Against the Ravens, Denver faced fourth-and-4 to start the second quarter when Nix took a deep shot to rookie Troy Franklin instead of a more conservative first down attempt. Even in wins, Payton tried to do a little too much and burned his team. With the Broncos clinging to a six-point fourth-quarter lead against the Browns, Nix didn’t have to throw a bomb on Mims on first-and-10. The resulting interception put Denver in danger. “It was my fault, that call was bad,” Payton admitted afterward.

In Week 15 against the Colts, the Broncos faced a third-and-close midfield against one of the worst run defenses in the league. Instead of passing the ball, Nix’s play-action throw to Sutton was intercepted by cornerback Samuel Womack III.

On Thursday, Denver took a 21-10 lead in the second half after rookie Devaughn Vele’s touchdown run. Following the Broncos’ offensive possession, Nix dropped back four times in a row. He ran 15 yards, was sacked for an 8-yard loss, threw a 12-yard pass to Sutton before first down, and, on third down, threw an incompletion.