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American Football

Denver Broncos begin life under Sean Payton with shock first play of the season

Philip Marsh
Denver Broncos begin life under Sean Payton with shock first play of the seasonDustin Bradford/Getty Images
It caught everyone at Mile High off guard.

New Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton used his first play to call an onside kick against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Onside kicks in the NFL are typically only seen when teams trailing games need to regather possession with limited time to play in the fourth quarter.

However Payton opted to start the 2023 season with a onside kick which almost paid off.

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The team who takes an onside kick is not allowed to make contact with the football in the first 10 yards it travels, unfortunately for the Broncos the officials spotted a slight touch by cornerback Tremon Smith.

As a result the kick-off was retaken, and not even Payton was brave enough to call a second straight onside kick - instead taking a regular kick-off.

Payton has a history of calling brave onside kicks, having began the second half of Super Bowl XLIV with one as New Orleans Saints head coach.

That decision paid off and set the stage for the Saints to dominate the second half and go on to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy.