After the Denver Broncos' loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game, head coach Sean Payton is coming under significant fire for a controversial decision on a 4th-and-1 play in the 2nd quarter.
The decision to go for it on that 4th down play, in particular, was not the wisest move, even without the benefit of hindsight. Payton had a chance to put the Broncos up 10-0 in the AFC Championship Game, keep the momentum, and instead took the risk of going for it, coming up with zero points.
Even if the idea of going for it is justified, it's highly concerning that the Broncos didn't run the ball on 4th-and-1 inside the Patriots' 30. The biggest problem with this play is something nobody is really talking about in the aftermath of the game, which is the simple fact that Sean Payton trusted his backup quarterback (who had not played a regular or postseason game in two years) more than any of the three running backs he suited up for the AFC Championship.
Sean Payton's lack of trust for running backs doomed Broncos' 4th down failure
The Denver Broncos, at least for the first half of the 2025 season, had quite a productive stable of running backs, believe it or not. JK Dobbins was having a career year with the team, running for 772 yards in the first 10 games of the year at an average of 5.0 yards per carry.
In terms of team rushing stats, only the Buffalo Bills (5.0) and Baltimore Ravens (5.3) averaged 5.0 yards per carry or better as an overall unit. And while the Broncos weren't exactly ripping off five yards every single running play, Dobbins was the source of consistency for the offense in the first 10 games of the year.
And when I say the source of consistency, I mean the source of consistency.
After Dobbins' foot injury, the Broncos tried to make it work with rookie RJ Harvey and third-year player Jaleel McLaughlin, but it simply didn't work.
Over the final nine games of the year, including the two playoff games, RJ Harvey averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. And since he was the one taking over as the team's primary ball carrier, that was not good enough.
But would you trust Harvey or McLaughlin to gain one yard in a have-to-have-it situation?
Apparently not.
And that's the issue nobody is really talking about right now in regards to the Broncos' failure to pick up that 4th-down conversion. They attempted a pass on a quick rollout from Jarrett Stidham, who faced immediate pressure as the Patriots blew up any chance of the Broncos converting in that situation.
Not even fullback Adam Prentice, who was rather successful in his chances with the ball this season, got the call in that situation. And maybe there's a deeper issue with the way the Patriots' defensive line was attacking Denver's offensive line. Maybe Sean Payton simply felt he could catch the Patriots off guard in that situation.
Either way, in a situation where you have to have one yard, the decision to throw the ball instead of running it indicates a complete lack of trust in the guys who are paid to carry the football, and that's a huge problem that must be addressed in the 2026 offseason.