The Broncos had the Patriots on their heels. 

Up 7-0 in the second quarter, Denver found itself deep in New England territory facing fourth-and-one and the chance to go up two scores at home in the AFC Championship. Then Broncos head coach Sean Payton decided to go for it. 

And according to a new piece by ESPN’s Seth Wickersham, detailing the moments following the Patriots 10-7 win in Payton’s office, it may be a play call that will haunt the Broncos playcaller for the rest of his life. 

“I can’t believe we lost,” Payton told Wickersham. 

Generally this season, when Denver has driven the length of the field and are faced with a fourth down, short-yardage situation, Payton has decided to go for it. On Sunday afternoon he was faced with the same scenario, but this time with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham under center. 

He still decided to go for it. 

Payton called a timeout to think about what he wanted his offense to run, ultimately deciding on two plays, Nickel Duo, which was Denver’s most successful fourth down run play, and Slipper Naked, a bootleg to the right. 

Denver ultimately ran Slipper Naked, but there was just one problem — the Patriots didn’t do what Payton thought they would do. 

New England’s defense ran a Red 2 formation, meaning the Patriots played zone coverage behind a six-man front. Interim defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr — whose unit has received immense praise en route to Super Bowl LX — called for a formation that Payton and the Broncos never saw on film. 

Stidham took the snap, rolling right but the play was dead on arrival as defensive tackle Milton Williams immediately was in the quarterback’s lap, forcing an errant throw that stood no chance. 

“I wish I’d stayed with the initial play call,” Payton said softly, leaving the stadium. “The look they showed on film, and the look we saw, wasn’t the look we got.”

Payton claimed he wanted to go up 14-0, and with the way Drake Maye and the Patriots offense was looking and the impending snow storm, if the Broncos had been able to execute on fourth down, 14 points may very well have been enough to win the game. 

“I wanted 14-0,” Payton said. 

The Patriot’s fourth-down stop proved to be a momentum changer, and also the closest that Denver’s offense came to the end zone for the rest of the game. Kuhr’s defense would go on to force a game-changing Stidham fumble, which was forced by Christian Ellis, setting up a Maye six-yard rushing touchdown. 

“Yeah, and Ellis continues to make plays,” Mike Vrabel said. “We talk about it, just takes one play. Whether that’s Marcus Jones last week, Christian Ellis, which it would have been a touchdown.  They blew it way too late, blew the whistle, and I guess the call.

“And then the fourth just coming up with huge stops, and then our ability to get the little bit of yards that we needed in critical situations.”

Denver wouldn’t score another point as kicker Will Lutz missed two field goals, one which was blocked by Leonard Taylor III, and Stidham later threw a fourth quarter interception to Christian Gonzalez in a last gasp effort to find points. 

Payton is viewed by many as one of the league best, if not the best, playcallers in the NFL, but in the biggest of spots, Kuhr and the Patriots defense was one step ahead. 

“That fourth down,” Payton said.