Sean Payton bypasses opportunity to go for onside kick under new rules after Colts, Niners try

DENVER (AP) — Sean Payton made the gutsiest call in Super Bowl history, ambushing Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts with a stunning onside kick coming out of halftime at Super Bowl 44 to nab the New Orleans Saints' only Lombardi Trophy.

Payton also ushered in the second chapter of his coaching career by attempting an onside kick against the Las Vegas Raiders in the Denver Broncos' opener last year.

It failed when cornerback Tremon Smith touched the football just before it had traveled the requisite 10 yards, and that may very well have been the reason Payton lost in his Denver debut. But it proved that he hadn't abandoned his risk-taking disposition when Greg Penner hired him out of Fox's broadcast studio.

The NFL's new kicking rule s have taken away coaches' ability to pull a fast one on unsuspecting opponents while also making them think long and hard about trying one when desperate times call for it.

Teams can only try it in the fourth quarter now and only if they're losing. And, most importantly, they have to declare their intention to try an onside kick.

Two teams tried and failed Sunday.

Green Bay’s Evan Williams recovered the Colts' onside kick with 1:47 remaining and the Packers ran out the clock in their 16-10 victory over Indianapolis.

Shortly thereafter, Minnesota's Nick Muse recovered the 49ers' onside kick with 1:12 left and Sam Darnold kneeled out the clock in the Vikings' 23-17 win.

It appeared the Broncos would become the third team to try it when they cut the Pittsburgh Steelers' lead to 13-6 on Wil Lutz's chip-shot field goal with 1:54 remaining in Denver.

But Payton elected instead to kick off even though he only had one timeout left and rookie quarterback Bo Nix has yet to find the end zone with any of his 77 passes, which rank as the third most in the league.

“We spent a lot of time going through it back and forth,” Payton said after Nix's second interception as time expired sealed the Broncos' loss. "It was just weighing the odds versus recovering an onside kick or getting the ball back with 26 seconds.

"We chose to kick off.”

The Steelers ran three times before newly signed punter Corliss Waitman, who played for the Broncos in 2022 and earned a “ petty game ball ” along with quarterback Russell Wilson and receiver Brandon Johnson afterward, booted a beauty of a 54-yarder to the Denver 10.

Marvin Mims Jr. returned the punt 9 yards, leaving the Broncos with 81 yards to go in just 9 seconds.

Josh Reynolds caught Nix's first down pass for 13 yards and as he was getting tackled he pitched it to Mims, who raced out of bounds at the Denver 34 with 1 second to spare.

With 66 yards to go, Nix lined up in the shotgun for one final play, stepped up and zipped his 35th pass of the game over the middle where Damontae Kazee easily intercepted it at the Steelers 40.

Shunning the onside kick was one of several eyebrow-raising calls by Payton.

Down 13-0 with 10:45 remaining, the Broncos were facing fourth-and-6 at the Pittsburgh 16 when Payton sent Lutz out for the chip-shot field goal that got the Broncos on the scoreboard but left them with the same two-score deficit.

“Time-wise we felt like we were still in a good position, looking at the clock," Payton explained.

The Broncos' biggest bugaboo has been their ineffective ground game. With scramble totals of 35 yards and 25 yards, Nix has been Denver's leading rusher in both of its games.

With rookie Audric Estime sidelined Sunday, the Broncos promoted running back Tyler Badie from their practice squad and on his first carry he reeled off a 16-yard gain midway through the second quarter.

He never got another handoff even though from that point on, Javonte Williams carried nine times for 10 yards, Jaleel McLaughlin ran once for 7 yards and Nix gained 5 yards on a designed run.

Asked Monday why Badie didn’t get another chance after providing the Broncos with their longest run of the game and second-longest of the season behind Nix’s 23-yard scramble in Seattle, Payton said, “It's about trying to find touches for the third back.”

“It’s much easier with a rotation of two,” Payton continued. "Getting the third back involved, sometimes it’s special teams, sometimes in the passing game, and it was a good run by him. It’s something we’re — you take notice of it, though. It’s something as a play-caller, as someone who’s looking at the game, I’ve got to be able to see that."

Baseball has its spitball and football has its ... puke pass?

At one point during Green Bay’s win over the Colts, Packers coach Matt LaFleur asked quarterback Malik Willis why he didn’t throw on a particular play. Willis explained that center Josh Myers had just vomited on the football.

This story has been corrected to show that the Saints won Super Bowl 44, not 34.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks during the post game news conference after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks to line judge Julian Mapp (10) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos, Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

SEATTLE (AP) — A year ago, the New York Yankees were knocked out of playoff contention with a week to go in the regular season, ending a string of six straight postseason appearances.

Remembering what that was like made wrapping up a playoff berth with more than a week left this time around feel that much better.

“A lot of things have come together. Probably better health overall. Definitely an added focus for guys that were coming off tough years and simply put, we’re better. We weren’t a great team last year and this team has a chance to do something special,” New York manager Aaron Boone said.

After spending last year sitting at home when the postseason arrived, the Yankees wrapped up their place in the 2024 playoffs with a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in 10 innings Wednesday night.

Nestor Cortes, who pitched six shutout innings, said this Yankees team is using the sting of last season as motivation heading into October.

“Last year we were out of the playoffs. Sour feeling for us,” Cortes said as New York players drenched each other in beer and bubbly during a jubilant clubhouse celebration.

“Coming into spring training, we had one goal, and that’s to make the playoffs, and we’re here. Obviously, the ultimate goal for every team is to be in the World Series and win the World Series. But as of right now, we’re going to enjoy this moment.”

New York has the best record in the American League at 89-63 and leads second-place Baltimore by five games in the AL East with 10 to play. The latest victory ensured the Yankees at least a wild card.

It’s the 59th postseason appearance in franchise history, but the Yankees are still trying to end a World Series drought that dates to 2009, when New York celebrated its 27th title.

Last year, the Yankees were hampered by an injury-riddled roster that was eliminated from playoff contention on Sept. 24. Before that, the Yankees hadn’t missed the postseason since 2016, when Aaron Judge had just 27 games of major league experience.

Now they’re headed back to the playoffs with Judge the MVP favorite in the American League, another hitting star in Juan Soto and a starting pitching staff that might have enough depth to carry the Yankees on a deep playoff run.

“(It’ll) definitely be exciting, especially after the season we had last year missing out on the postseason,” Judge said. “That’s what we came into the season to do, get into the postseason and give ourselves an opportunity to go out there and win a World Series. That’ll be step one, but we've got to get there first.”

The task over the final stretch is making sure that return to the playoffs includes going in as champions of the AL East. The recent slump by the Orioles has opened a gap in the division race and built perhaps enough of a cushion to take some of the drama away from next week’s three-game series between the teams in the Bronx.

But it only remains stress-free as long as the Yankees don’t stumble over the next few days. After closing out the series in Seattle on Thursday, the Yankees finish up their final trip with three games in Oakland.

They hope it’s the last time they have to be away from home for a while.

“Our goal is to win the division. That’s what we want to do," Soto said. “We’re going to focus on that and try to finish the season strong.”

Soto is a big reason the Yankees are back in the playoffs and might end up with home-field advantage in the American League. While Judge is rightfully the favorite to win his second MVP in the past three seasons with 53 homers and 136 RBIs, the contributions from Soto have been equally important.

Soto reached the 40-homer mark for the first time in Tuesday’s series opener against the Mariners. It was also the 200th longball of his career, at just age 25 and heading into an offseason when he will be the top free agent. The duo will probably determine just how deep this Yankees playoff run goes.

“Getting a front-row seat this year, all year, watching him, watching him go about it, watching him day in and day out, just a great hitter,” Boone said.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

New York Yankees' Aaron Judge, center, celebrates clinching a playoff spot with teammates, including catcher Austin Wells, right, after a 2-1 win over the Seattle Mariners in a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo follows through on an RBI double against the Seattle Mariners during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo reacts after hitting an RBI double against the Seattle Mariners during the 10th inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New York Yankees' Juan Soto hits a double against the Seattle Mariners during the third inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

New York Yankees' Anthony Rizzo hits an RBI single to score Jasson Domínguez against the Seattle Mariners during the second inning of a baseball game Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)