Sean Payton's gutsy 2-point decision changes entire Broncos game vs. Eagles

Billy Heyen

Sean Payton's gutsy 2-point decision changes entire Broncos game vs. Eagles image

Sean Payton is the head coach who once called an onside kick out of halftime in the Super Bowl.

So this decision really wasn't that surprising in the grand scheme of things.

It still took guts.

Payton's Denver Broncos trailed 17-3 at halftime to the Philadelphia Eagles.

They scored their first touchdown of the game early in the fourth quarter, a short J.K. Dobbins run to pull within 17-10.

And then with 7:35 to play, Bo Nix threw an 11-yard touchdown to Evan Engram.

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The Broncos trailed by one before the extra point, and the expectation with that much time left would be for Wil Lutz to come on and kick the point after.

But instead, Payton called for a 2-point conversion.

Nix went play action and hit Troy Franklin near the right sideline to get the 2 points, and an 18-17 lead.

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It's unconventional, to be sure, but there's some logic.

For one, Payton wanted to try and give his stacked defense a lead to work with.

And with the time left, there's actually a little less risk. If the Broncos don't convert, they at least get the ball back, probably. 

Either way, the Eagles would get a chance to take the lead back. But the 2-pointer created a scenario where Denver could win even if it didn't score another point the rest of the game.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle