When Sean Payton made the gutsy move to wave off the kicking unit, every Broncos fan knew what that meant. Denver didn’t come to Philly to tie — they came to win. Against the defending Super Bowl champs, Payton rolled the dice on his young quarterback and an offense that’s only beginning to establish an identity.
It was the ultimate sign of trust. In that moment, Payton wasn’t protecting Bo Nix — he was empowering and unleashing him. Blowing out the Bengals showed that the Broncos were better than their record, but the two-point conversion and the victory that followed sent a statement around the league: the Broncos are for real.
Some wins are bigger than others, and this one changed everything for the Broncos. It wasn’t a perfect game — the Broncos struggled in the first half — but the fourth-quarter performance and the well-placed faith in Bo Nix and the offense felt like the manifestation of Sean Payton’s vision that Denver has a Super Bowl-caliber roster.
Sean Payton's belief in Bo Nix and the Broncos validated in two-point decision
It wasn’t just the defining win of the Payton–Nix era — it was the defining moment. With a soft schedule ahead, many believed this battle against the Eagles would be their most probable loss. Sure, they handled an underperforming and injured Bengals team, but would it translate against the undefeated defending champs?
“We came here to win a game,” Coach Payton said in the post-game press conference. “I had two or three calls that I loved… we got to a call that I had confidence in and the guys executed. It was perfect.” And perfect it was, despite a rough first half. Bo Nix and the Broncos never gave up and proved they’re going to fight for four quarters.
Coming back from a 17–3 deficit, most Broncos fans were satisfied that the team had merely caught up — and expected Denver to kick the extra point and tie. Most coaches would’ve tied it up, and many analysts disagreed with the decision to go for two. But Sean Payton had other plans — not rooted in math or probability, but in faith in his team and quarterback.
“You can feel his leadership when it matters… and then you can feel the confidence with his teammates when it matters. He played exceptional in the second half.” — Sean Payton
Bo Nix and his former Oregon teammate Troy Franklin connected for the two-point conversion, tapping into the power of the Quack Attack. The move put Denver up by one point late in the fourth, taking control of the game. Had they failed, it likely would’ve led to the Eagles eating up the clock and securing the victory. Instead, Payton let Philly know that this was our game — and Denver would be the ones writing the story.
It’s the kind of move that sends fear into your opponent, creating tension and anxiety that they can’t simply play for overtime or stay conservative. Instead, Philly had to step up and be aggressive. The Broncos were able to get the ball back, drive down the field, and add a field goal to their lead. The Eagles then had to mount a final drive, pitting their passing offense against Pat Surtain and the Broncos’ league-leading pass rush.
In the end, the Eagles couldn’t outmatch the Broncos’ defense. Denver seized control of the game and “controlled the fourth quarter.” The two-point decision established a psychological edge and threw the Eagles off balance. In that moment, the Broncos’ identity went from reactive to assertive — the culmination of Payton’s cultural rebuild.