The Denver Broncos walked into Week 10 riding high on a 7-2 record. But in a game full of miscues, the Broncos could only scrape a 10-7 win. If the Empower Field roaring with boos wasn’t enough, head coach Sean Payton’s one questionable call left former tight end Shannon Sharpe fuming on social media, too.

“Sean, W** was that? Need 1 yard and you run a gimmick?,” Sharpe tweeted.

The Broncos squeaked out the divisional matchup with a 10-7 win against the Las Vegas Raiders. In a third-quarter drive, the reason why the Broncos were in plus-territory was their ground game. But calling a trick play with just one yard to go was certainly head-scratching.

Que the ol’ Murphy’s Law of ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’…

In a 3rd & 1 of the third quarter, with 6:25 left and the score tied 7-7, Denver needed just a simple power run or a quarterback sneak. However, Payton dialed up a trick play.

With the punt at the Raiders’ 36-yard line, Broncos quarterback Bo Nix stepped back and tossed a backward pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. The WR turned around after his catch to run through the middle and get the first down. But the Raiders weren’t fooled. Reading the play perfectly, the defense stuffed Sutton, who was clearly trying to throw it downfield, for a five-yard loss, ending a 12-play drive that started all the way at Denver’s 16.

To make matters worse, on the 4th & 6 field goal attempt, Broncos’ kicker Wil Lutz missed his 59-yarder, turning the ball over to the Raiders at their own 41.

The team got the home win, but how! 

Granted that the Raiders couldn’t do anything in the next 20 or so minutes left in the game. But in a game where the Broncos should’ve sealed the game by halftime, their win came because the Raiders’ kicker Daniel Carlson missed a 48-yard field goal that would have knotted the score at 10 with 4:26 to play, and the Denver offense managed its three first downs to ice it.

On any other night, Payton’s risky moves would be doable. The team averages a 37.59 per cent conversion on third downs. In contrast, their opponents convert it only 28 per cent of the time. But it was simply not their night.

 And this isn’t new territory for Payton; it’s a recurring mistake in his coaching for years now. But the veteran seems to be A-okay with it all.

Payton clears the air on his trick play vs. the Raiders

It isn’t a new thing when it comes to Payton calling a trick play. In fact, last year, he had clearly mentioned that if he had a chance to take one off the shelf instead of letting it rot there, he would. And his philosophy for calling them? Throw the analytics out and trust your gut.

The team goes into each game with a bag of such ‘change-of-pace’ tricks for him to utilize when his instincts say so. Most of the time, though, things do go right, like it happened last season against the Carolina Panthers.

In a 28-14 win over their Week 8 opponents, Nix was appointed a similar task. With 4:29 left in the game and the Broncos leading 28-7, the quarterback threw a backward pass to Sutton before the wideout fired the ball across the field to a wide-open Michael Burton for a 28-yard reception.

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It’s creative. It’s a wrinkle in the rather straight game. And for one, Payton doesn’t mind if the ball sometimes ends up on the other side.

“Yes, listen, it is a play we’ve had up. It’s short yardage, so it’s a misdirect. We’ve called this before,” Payton explained after the win. “They did a good job peeling on the running back, and so when it works, it looks great. And Courtland was smart, not throwing it.”

Let’s face it, Sean Payton needs to change his game plans. But his team also likes what he does. The fun part for them is to practice these plays from day one with the team working on it throughout the week. The excitement is about being completely focused and playing in a different position, like Sutton turning into a pass thrower rather than a pass catcher. So, even after Bo Nix has had his ups and downs, and his home field has clearly lost some trust in him, this one play not going as planned hasn’t gotten to him.

“I’ve been booed before, and I’ll be booed again,” Nix stated after finishing the game with 16-of-28 completions for 150 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions. “It’s obviously unfortunate. You don’t want your own fans booing you, but it’s part of it.”

The defense, though, has been lights out. They’ve allowed over 30 points just once all season and rank among the league’s best in red-zone stops, third-down efficiency, and sacks. But how far can the Broncos go if Payton keeps tripping over the offensive playbook? Fans sure didn’t hold back in calling out Sean Payton’s playcalling after Thursday’s game. 

Fans blast Sean Payton for poor playcalling

The win on Thursday was not enough. Fans were still furious with the way Sean Payton went about his playcalling in this game. “What the f*ck is Sean Payton doing? This play calling is dogsh*t. What the f*ck is Bo supposed to do?,” one fan commented.

What most fans anticipated after three quarters of slow play was Nix bringing out his fourth-quarter persona and saving the day. But with the calls he received, that was seemingly impossible. Still, while many of his followers tried to protect him, some couldn’t help but show how a struggling defense ranking 30th in the league, according to PFF, also outsmarted the decent 17th-ranked offense in the league.

Another fan added, “That defense wasn’t fooled for even half a second. They were already in the backfield before the ball even moved.” And the fan was correct. Probably, just like the Broncos prepared their tricks, the Raiders, too, having known Payton’s style, were all set to take their offense down.

So, pointing fingers at the QB isn’t going to do much. As such, some fans defended the QB, arguing that Payton’s play design is the real problem.

“8-2 my brotha! Next week, he goes for 260 2TDs and 30 yards rushing. If you’re not a Bronco fan, you don’t understand how this team plays. Everybody blames Bo, but Sean Payton’s play calling is terrible,” wrote one fan. 

And maybe they have a point. Why force trick plays on short-yardage downs when your running game can get the job done? One fan summed it up best: “Sean Payton needs to let go of his pride. If he cannot commit to the running game and let Bo work the intermediate game off play action, then he needs to give the play sheet to Davis Webb on game days. This man is stubborn. Been saying for 2 years Sean Payton, the OC is terrible.”

Any other play caller would certainly go for a usual QB sneak or a run game. But when it comes to Payton, it’s never the expected. Of course, most Broncos fans know it, and that’s why the team has been on an upward trajectory since his arrival and is the first this season to lead the league with an 8-2 record. The confidence he has in himself and his team is worth gambling on.

“You search for that Shangri-La,” Payton said after the win over the Raiders. “Right now, you know, we’re sitting at eight wins. I think we’re the only team sitting there.”