Sean Payton has won a Super Bowl and is regarded as one of the NFL’s smartest football coaches.
But Payton was outsmarted by the best coach in the game last Sunday, and he eventually admitted it after a painful last-second loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes couldn’t believe how the Chiefs remained undefeated[/caption]
“Credit them for that,” Denver’s head coach told reporters.
“They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough.”
Payton was referring to a heartbreaker for the Broncos that became an unbelievable 16-14 victory for Andy Reid and Kansas City.
The Chiefs blocked a last-second field-goal attempt by Will Lutz that was supposed to end Kansas City’s undefeated season.
Instead, a red wall blew up the Broncos’ line, Patrick Mahomes wildly celebrated by running all over the field, and the Chiefs will enter a huge game against the AFC rival Buffalo Bills with a 9-0 record.
Thanks to Leo Chenal blocking Lutz’s 35-yard attempt, Kansas City won in brilliant fashion.
But the real work was done prior to the game, as Reid and the Chiefs’ coaching staff recognized a hole in Denver’s blocking scheme.
“We did,” Reid said, “It’s also something we work on like crazy. It normally doesn’t work quite like that one.”
Chenal was blown away by the kick-blocking breakthrough, which continued a 15-game winning streak dating back to the 2023 regular season.
“It’s a complete shock, you know?” Chenal said. “Not much I can say about it.
The Chiefs recognized an opening in Denver’s field goal blocking scheme[/caption]
Mahomes ran around the field and celebrated like a little kid[/caption]
All Sean Payton could do was give credit to Mahomes and the well-coached Chiefs[/caption]
“I was really praying for something to happen. That moment is so heavy.
“There’s a second on the clock, they’re going to kick a field goal and you feel the weight of the moment.”
Payton owned up to the fact that Denver failed to recognize its internal hole, while Reid and his staff exploited the opening.
“It’s pretty common for the team that had success with it to say, ‘Hey we saw … ,’ ” Payton said.
“They exploited an area that we obviously felt was fixed and stronger, but not fixed enough.
“It’s tough to lose a game that way. This isn’t on the player. This is on all of us. This is on us as coaches.”
The Chiefs face Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday night in Buffalo.
Denver fell to 5-5 with the tough defeat.
Bo Nix and the Broncos have lost to Lamar Jackson and Mahomes in back-to-back weeks.
Denver hosts Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons while hoping for a Week 11 rebound.
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