The Denver Broncos had early momentum against the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship game. They jumped out to a 7–0 lead and had a chance to make it 10–0. But instead of taking the easy field goal, though, Sean Payton chose to go for it on fourth-and-short. Ever since that decision has failed, it has drawn steady criticism. And now, Shannon Sharpe has weighed in on that moment.

“He (Payton) had an opportunity to take a chip shot field goal. Ten nothing. Ten nothing gives you momentum. You make it seem like if you got that first down, it’s not like it was a touchdown. I can see if you went for it, you still had to get more plays. I think they (Patriots) had one first down, maybe ran like seven plays up until that point. So, ten points might have felt like 14 based on how you had dominated them defensively.”

The sequence unfolded early in the second quarter. Facing fourth-and-short with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham under center, many expected Denver to settle for three points. Payton didn’t. The play looked uneasy from the start. New England’s defense quickly pressured Stidham up the middle, and the pass remained incomplete. And from there, the momentum immediately shifted.

Sharpe’s frustration centers on context. Denver’s defense, led by Vance Joseph, had Josh McDaniels’ offense completely bottled up early. By the time Denver faced fourth-and-1 at the New England 14, the Patriots had managed just one first down and roughly over ten plays. Their early drives were minimal. Think of a three-play, six-yard series to open the game, followed by another six-play, 11-yard drive, and ending the first quarter with a minimal 3-plays, 5 yard drive.

Clearly, nothing suggested an offensive breakthrough was coming. That trend largely held throughout the game. The Broncos limited New England to just 65 passing yards. Drake Maye finished 10-of-21 for 86 yards, with no passing touchdowns, no interceptions, and five sacks taken. This is why Sharpe argued that a 10–0 lead could have functioned like a two-score cushion. With that margin, Denver’s defense would have been free to continue dictating the game. But at the end of the day, the Broncos had nothing but regret after the fourth-down blunder.

“There’s always regrets,” Payton said in his post-game press conference. “I mean, look, I felt here we are fourth and one, we felt close enough that, and it’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, there will always be second thoughts.”

After the fourth-down failure, the Patriots responded by tying the game at seven after the Broncos’ turnover, then took a 10–7 lead soon after. From there, Denver never scored again. And in a game ultimately decided by three points, that early decision and passing on guaranteed points loomed large.

Shannon Sharpe criticized the Broncos for turning the ball over

The fourth-and-short decision wasn’t where the Broncos’ problems ended. Just a few plays after passing on a field goal, Denver made the one mistake it absolutely couldn’t afford. Jarrett Stidham turned the ball over in the second quarter, handing New England the opening it needed. From there, it didn’t take Drake Maye long to capitalize, a sequence Shannon Sharpe also singled out for criticism.

“One thing, all that being said, the one thing that he couldn’t do is what he did is turn the ball over in negative turns all over and that’s changed the game,” Sharpe said, addressing Stidham’s turning the ball over.

The sequence unfolded late in the second quarter, only moments after Denver had bypassed a potential 10–0 cushion. Filling in for the injured Bo Nix, Stidham faced pressure on third-and-3 and awkwardly released the ball near Denver’s 14-yard line. Patriots linebacker Elijah Ponder scooped it up and ran toward the end zone, appearing to score. However, officials ruled the play dead as Ponder recovered the ball, wiping out the return.

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Still, the damage was done. Given a short field, Maye took control. He opened the drive with a 6-yard completion on first-and-10 from the Denver 12, then followed it up with a 6-yard touchdown pass on second-and-4 from the 6-yard line to tie the game. The momentum carried into the second half. After missing a field goal earlier, New England connected early in the third quarter to take a 10–7 lead.

That score held up. The Patriots’ defense tightened, Denver never found the end zone again, and the game slipped away. In the end, New England punched its ticket to the Super Bowl by holding Denver to single digits. And for Sean Payton and the Broncos, the wait continues.