Sean Payton was frustrated after the Denver Broncos lost both their momentum and the NFL’s first successful fair-catch kick in 48 years.
Cameron Dicker’s 57-yard field goal helped the Chargers complete a 34-27 comeback on Thursday night, ending Denver’s four-game winning streak and stopping the Broncos (9-6) from securing their first playoff spot since 2015.
“It’s just a dumb penalty,” said Tremon Smith, who hit punt returner Derius Davis at the Chargers’ 38-yard line as the first half ended. The 15-yard penalty moved the ball past midfield, setting up the fair-catch kick, the first successful one since Ray Wersching did it for the San Diego Chargers 48 years ago.
Dicker’s field goal made the score 21-13 and triggered a 24-6 run by the Chargers (9-6), who swept the Broncos for the first time since 2010.
“The penalty put them in field goal position,” Payton said. “So, it’s disappointing.”
Payton also regretted his play-calling in the last minute of the first half, which led to the rare rule allowing a team to attempt a free kick for three points after making a fair catch, with defenders at least 10 yards away.
After scoring on their first three possessions, the Broncos led 21-10 when they got the ball back at their 18-yard line with 41 seconds remaining before halftime. Instead of running out the clock, Payton called two short passes to running back Javonte Williams.
The first pass lost three yards but burned 24 seconds. The second was incomplete, stopping the clock at 17 seconds.
On third down, Williams rushed for one yard, and Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh called a timeout with 8 seconds left. The clock ran out on Riley Dixon’s punt, but Smith’s penalty gave the Chargers another opportunity. Dicker came out and kicked the field goal.
“Typically, you’d be pretty conservative,” Payton said. “We were going to have the ball (to start the third quarter). We ran a screen and then when the clock got low enough, we didn’t get any momentum going there.”
The Broncos never regained momentum. After a field goal gave them a 24-13 lead midway through the third quarter, they couldn’t stop the Chargers, who scored three touchdowns in the late game to deny Denver a playoff spot.
“We had a fast start, I was encouraged by that,” Payton said. “Then uncharacteristically this season, we didn’t finish or play nearly well enough in the second half, both offensively and defensively.”
Payton had agreed to move the game to Thursday night, hoping it would benefit the Broncos since it pushed the Bengals’ game against Cleveland to the weekend. The Broncos play Cincinnati next week, meaning the Bengals will have a shorter week than Denver.
But losing in LA puts the Broncos in a tough spot as they finish their season against Joe Burrow and then Kansas City. They still have an 86% chance to make the playoffs, but the loss leaves them with extra time to reflect on a missed opportunity to clinch before the holidays.
