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Jeff Legwold
DENVER — The Denver Broncos’ aspirations and dreams of football glory were dashed on Sunday, as coach Sean Payton noted that the offense faltered at crucial moments before the snow swept in from the Rockies.
Looking back, Payton expressed several “regrets,” particularly recalling his decision to pass up points in the second quarter during a game marked by dropped passes and a stagnant run game. The Broncos ultimately lost 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at help Field at Mile High.
“[I’m] hurting for every one of those players in that locker room,” Payton reflected. “There will be many sequences to review and critique carefully. … It was a hard-fought game, and we didn’t do what was needed to secure a win.”
The highlight for the Broncos was a 52-yard connection from Jarrett Stidham to Marvin Mims Jr. on their second possession, which was their sole scoring drive. The team managed just 32 net yards of offense in the second half, with only one first down.
Kicker Wil Lutz missed a field goal, and his attempt to tie the game with under five minutes remaining was blocked. After Mims’ first-quarter catch, the Broncos couldn’t manage a play longer than 12 yards.
“We didn’t score enough points and failed to capitalize on good field position,” Payton said. “It starts with me as the head coach and extends to our staff.”
Payton noted he would “always” have doubts about a decision to attempt a fourth-and-1 with 9:28 left in the second quarter, especially as the snowfall intensified at halftime.
With the Broncos leading 7-0 and the Patriots unable to drive longer than 11 yards, Payton opted to go for it from the Patriots’ 14-yard line, initially calling for a run play.
but, after a timeout, he switched to a pass play that had Stidham executing a bootleg.
“I felt we had the momentum and getting up by 14 points seemed like a solid strategy,” Payton shared. “The defense was performing well, and I wanted to be aggressive.”
Right after the snap, Patriots defensive tackles Cory Durden and Milton Williams breached the Broncos’ backfield, forcing Stidham to rush his throw, resulting in an incomplete pass.
For the rest of the game, the Broncos never advanced inside the New England 20-yard line as conditions worsened.
“There are always regrets,” Payton admitted. “In this situation, at fourth-and-1, the call must consider the opposing team and what you’re observing on the field. So yes, there will always be moments of second-guessing.”
In retrospect, he acknowledged that the original run call may have been the wiser choice.
Overall, Payton emphasized that the primary issue on the day was that the Broncos only managed one touchdown from their three first-half possessions that started at or beyond the 40-yard line.
Following halftime, in the swirling snow, the Broncos rushed for a mere 22 yards, Stidham logged just 10 passing yards, and the longest possession lasted only 17 yards, making the missed field goal loom larger with every snowflake.
“It became clear that securing a field goal was going to be crucial,” Payton acknowledged. “Unfortunately, we failed to execute.”
As tackle Mike McGlinchey succinctly stated: “They executed one more possession than we did. And that’s something we’ll have to live with until next season.”
