Surprise onside kicks are nothing new for Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton, with his most notable attempt being a successful onside kick after halftime against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.
Even considering that history, though, it was still unexpected when the Broncos opened their 2023 season with an onside kick against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1.
Buy Broncos TicketsDenver recovered the kick but cornerback Tremon Smith was deemed to have touched it just before it went the required 10 yards, and the resulting penalty set the Raiders up with good field position.
After an eventual 17-16 loss, Payton was asked about his decision to begin the game with a surprise onside kick.
“It was something we had seen on film,” Payton explained. “It wasn’t like a random [decision]. We just felt like we saw a leverage opportunity [and] we wanted to take advantage of. Obviously, we didn’t want to contact the ball before 10 yards. So it was kind of being aggressive and yet we felt like we came to win a game.
“It was something we discussed if we won the toss. We were going to defer and then we wanted it kicked over on our sideline. It was just one of those things that we felt, percentage-wise, we felt pretty good about the onside kick.”
Had they avoided the penalty, a successful onside kick would have been a great way to start the Payton era in Denver. Instead, Las Vegas went on to take a 7-0 lead and later won the game. Football is a game of inches, and Sunday was a good reminder of that.
