At least one NFL coach thought the Denver Broncos' Sean Payton was a little too cavalier with his decision to attempt an onside kick to open Sunday's game against the Las Vegas Raiders.
"How about him starting the game with an onside kick?" the coach said to Mike Sando of The Athletic. "That's him wanting to be the guy that started the game with an onside kick and having it be the reason they won. But when you really get down to it, it was the reason they lost. That was the Raiders' touchdown drive. They didn't do anything else til the end."
The gambit nearly worked. Denver recovered the kick, but the ball didn't travel the requisite 10 yards before a Broncos player first touched it.
NFL @NFLThe <a href="">@Broncos</a> almost pulled off the onside kick on Sean Payton's first play 😅<br><br>📺: <a href="">#LVvsDEN</a> on CBS<br>📱: Stream on <a href="">#NFLPlus</a> <a href=""> <a href="">
The Raiders capitalized on their short field as Jimmy Garoppolo's touchdown pass to Jakobi Meyers capped off a 44-yard drive.
Las Vegas Raiders @Raiders🔟 to 1️⃣6️⃣<a href="">#LVvsDEN</a> | 📺CBS <a href="">
Another coach interviewed by Sando was more charitable toward Payton.
"A play that early in the game is never the reason you lose," they said. "That play shows that he takes a year off and he thinks about stuff and wants to get advantages where he can and the play was almost properly executed."
While the onside was a costly backfire, citing it as the reason for Denver's defeat feels a bit reductive.
Failing to find the end zone from a 1st-and-goal at the Las Vegas 8-yard line in the fourth quarter was much more damaging for the Broncos. The defense also failed to make a pair of stops on third down on the Raiders' final drive that would've given the offense a chance at securing the go-ahead score.
Fans will probably forgive Payton for his aggressive approach to start the opener, but they might start to sour on the Super Bowl-winning coach if those tactics become the norm.
