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Super Bowl champion Michael Strahan said he doesn’t understand the coaches who go for it on fourth down all the time.
Strahan, 54, berated Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton for choosing to go for it on fourth down when the Broncos were up 7-0 early in their loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
“Denver, I thought they should have kicked that field goal, gone up, taken the points,” Strahan said during a recent appearance on “New Heights.”
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Michael Strahan plays the second hole prior to the 2025 Ryder Cup on the Black Course at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, New York on September 24, 2025. (Mateo Villalba/Getty Images)
“I don’t get these coaches now because fourth down now is an automatic go-for-it more than not. And I get analytics, but you have to feel the team, you have to feel the situation.”
With the Broncos starting backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, and knowing the weather would be a factor later in the game, Strahan wanted the Broncos to take the points and go up 10-0. Strahan, who played under Payton during his time with the New York Giants, said he felt bad for the coach.
“I felt sorry for Sean Payton because Sean Payton coached me back 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 during the second half of the AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 25, 2026. (John Locher/AP Photo)
“I wanted to just get the points, man, get the points, put pressure on New England, especially on the road, to beat you with a great defense like they have.”
Strahan also pointed out that the Patriots have a very good defense and that when you get down in the red zone, you have to take the points you can get. Had the Broncos chosen to kick the field goal and did so, they would have gone up 10-0.
A two-score lead, with the weather ending up in the second half, could have changed the outcome of the game. Strahan believed the Broncos should have won the game.
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Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton speaks during a news conference after the AFC Championship game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots in Denver, Colorado on Jan. 25, 2026. (Garrett W. Ellwood/AP Photo)
Instead, the Patriots advanced and will take on 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, had 141.5 sacks in 216 games and is considered one of the best defensive ends of all time.
