Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton said he called a fake punt on fourth down in overtime of the team's divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills, according to an ESPN story documenting Denver's postseason released Tuesday.
Sean Payton's second chance
Seth Wickersham spent two weeks with Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton during the NFL playoffs earlier this year. Read the full story »
"We had the right look," Payton told ESPN's Seth Wickersham, who spent all two weeks of the playoffs with the coach, a rare look inside a postseason NFL team. Payton had worked on the play, called Rutgers Special, for a year, to be called late in a close game against Buffalo -- crafted out of respect for Bills quarterback Josh Allen and his spectacular clutch play. Players ultimately vetoed the fourth-and-11 playcall at the line of scrimmage. The Broncos punted, and Allen threw an interception to end Buffalo's next possession. Denver went on to win 33-30.
During his two weeks with Payton, Wickersham attended staff and team meetings, witnessing the coach's interactions, strategy sessions, practices, pep talks and arguments with coaches and players -- including game-planning sessions that sometimes lasted until 2 a.m. Payton even shared his sleep scores with Wickersham.
Among the other details in the story:
Phone calls Payton had with Bill Parcells and Jerry Rice, seeking advice for how to address the team. The moment the Broncos' vice president of player health and performance approached Payton in his office after the Buffalo game to share the news that quarterback Bo Nix had broken his ankle. Payton's secret plan in 2024 to propose that the Broncos hire Bill Belichick as temporary head coach until he broke Don Shula's record to become the NFL's winningest coach. Read the full story here.