Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos hopes of a Super Bowl came to an end on Sunday. Despite being the No.1-seed the AFC, they suffered a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the conference championship game.

According to retired five-time All-Pro J.J. Watt, Sean Payton carries some of the blame for his team’s loss. In a tweet on X, he said that his questionable play-calling in the first half was a factor contributing to their defeat.

“That 4th and 1 in the first half is looming large right now,” Watt said.

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The Broncos were without their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, who broke his ankle during their divisional round win against the Buffalo Bills. Jarrett Stidham served as his replacement against the Patriots.

Sean Payton’s team took an early lead in the first quarter after Stidham found wide receiver Courtland Sutton with a six-yard touchdown pass. Will Lutz converted the extra point to make the score 7-0.

In the second quarter, Jarrett Stidham tried an RPO, but fell a yard short of securing a first down. On a 4th-and-1 play on the Patriots 20-yard line, Payton had the option of attempting a field goal. However, he instead decided to let Stidham make a play, which unfortunately resulted in an incompletion.

This shifted the momentum of the game in favor of Mike Vrabel’s team. With 2:10 left in the second quarter, Drake Make scored a six-yard rushing touchdown to level the playing field heading into halftime. In the third-quarter, Andres Borregales sealed the win for the Patriots with a 23-yard field goal.

Jarrett Stidham completed 17 of 31 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. On the other hand, Drake Maye completed 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Sean Payton reveals reason behind his decision not to opt for a field goal in the first half

In the postgame press conference, Sean Payton was questioned about his decision not to attempt a field goal on that 4th-and-1 play.

The Broncos coach revealed that he wanted to capitalize on the momentum they had heading into that play. Payton also got brutally honest about whether he would have made a different playcalling decision if he got a second chance.

“I feel like we had momentum, to go up to 14,” Payton said. “I felt we had a good call. I think the feeling was, let’s be aggressive.

“There’s always regrets. It’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball.”

The Patriots advance to Super Bowl LX, where they will face the winner of the NFC championship game between the Seahawks and the Rams