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Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan said he doesn’t understand coaches who settle for fourth place all the time.
Strahan, 54, lamented Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton for opting to start on fourth down when the Broncos led 7-0 early in their loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game on Sunday.
“Denver, I thought they should have made that field goal, gone up and scored points,” Strahan said during a recent appearance on “New Heights.”
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Michael Strahan plays the second hole before the 2025 Ryder Cup at the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York on September 24, 2025. (Matéo Villalba/Getty Images)
“I don’t understand these coaches now, because fourth down is automatic now more than not. And I get analytics, but you have to feel the team, you have to feel the situation.”
With the Broncos starting quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, and knowing that the weather was going to become a factor later in the game, Strahan wished the Broncos would take the points and go up 10-0. Strahan, who played under Payton when he was with the New York Giants, said he felt bad for the coach.
“I felt bad for Sean Payton, because Sean Payton coached me in 2000 or something. I love Sean, and I talked to him the day before the game, (he was) very confident (in) what they were doing but in the playoffs,” Strahan said.
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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton watches the second half of the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots in Denver, Colorado on January 25, 2026. (John Locher/AP Photo)
“I wanted to take points, man, to take points, to put pressure on New England, especially on the road, to beat you with a great defense like they did.”
Strahan also pointed out that the Patriots have a very good defense and when you get down in the red zone you have to take the points you can get. If the Broncos had chosen to kick the field goal and did so, they would have taken a 10-0 lead.
A two-point lead, with the weather finally prevailing in the second half, could have changed the outcome of the match. Strahan thought the Broncos should have won the game.
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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks during a press conference following the AFC Championship Game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots in Denver, Colorado on January 25, 2026. (Garrett W. Ellwood/AP Photo)
Instead, the Patriots advanced and will face the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl on February 8.
Strahan, who was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a 15-year career with the Giants, recorded 141.5 sacks in 216 games and is considered one of the best defensive ends of all time.
