The Broncos’ overtime win over the Bills in the 2025 divisional round had plenty of dramatic turns, but one of the biggest came before the game-winning drive ever got rolling.
With Denver facing 4th-and-11 from its own 38-yard line in overtime, Sean Payton had a fake punt ready. According to ESPN reporter Seth Wickersham’s behind-the-scenes look at Payton’s process, as reported by Broncos 9News insider Mike Klis, the Broncos were set to run it.
Sean Payton called for 4th and 11 fake punt run at own 38 in OT vs Bills.
Luckily, upback Tyler Badie called it off.
A few plays later Ja’Quan McMillian came up with Steal of past Seven Decades.
- MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) July 7, 2026
Instead of rolling the dice on a call that would have been every bit as bold as the onside kick to open the second half of Super Bowl XLIV, Denver backed out and punted. Jeremy Crawshaw delivered, flipping the field and pinning Buffalo deep. That mattered, because the Bills were suddenly the ones under pressure, and later in that drive McMillian picked off a pass to set up Denver’s game-winning march.
Afterward, Payton didn’t hide how he felt. “We had the right look.
I was so pissed. It was perfect.”
But Badie’s decision to check out of the fake punt may have been the smarter play. If Denver had failed, Buffalo might have been one snap away from a Matt Prater field goal and a playoff exit for the Broncos. Instead, the punt changed the shape of the overtime period and helped keep Denver alive.
It’s the kind of detail that can stick when teams start sorting through the bottom of the roster. As the Broncos look at their running back room this summer and decide who stays, who goes, and who lands on the practice squad, this moment could give Badie a real boost.
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