Broncos coach Sean Payton acknowledged making a big game management mistake late in the first half of Thursday night’s loss to the Chiefs.
Payton called a timeout before a Broncos punt with 22 seconds to go before halftime, at a time when it was the Chiefs who should have been calling timeout. Payton said he thought it was third down and he wanted to get another offensive play called.
“That’s a boneheaded mistake by me. They were calling one as well and I’m off by a down, but that was stupid,” Payton said.
After the punt, the Chiefs’ offense proceeded to get the ball to the Broncos’ 42-yard line, and Harrison Butker nailed a 60-yard field goal before halftime.
It was, indeed a boneheaded mistake. And it was emblematic of a Broncos season that has been full of mistakes. Payton was brought in with high expectations that he’d have the Broncos competing in the AFC West. Instead, with the Broncos at 1-5 and the Chiefs at 5-1, Kansas City remains the class of the division, and Denver is more likely to compete for the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.