Though the AFC Championship game saw the Denver Broncos start with an epic score by Jarrett Stidham, the team would fall short in losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots. As Broncos starting quarterback Bo Nix had ankle surgery and didn’t play, the game itself came down to key moments that are hard to reflect on for head coach Sean Payton.
After the game, Payton would speak to the media about the loss and, more specifically, the first drive of the second quarter, where Denver went for it on fourth-and-one on New England’s 14-yard line. The team could have easily taken a 10-0 lead at that point, but decided to go for it and failed, leading to Payton being asked if he regrets the decision.
“Sean Payton was asked if he regrets not kicking the FG to take the 10-0 lead: ‘There’s always regrets,’” Zac Stevens wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “‘They’ll always be second thoughts’.”
It was no doubt a highly successful season for the Broncos, obtaining the No. 1 seed with a 14-3 record, winning the AFC West, and eventually beating the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. However, with Nix’s injury, there was a belief that their season would be over on Sunday, and while it did happen, the game was a close one, which made decisions like those mentioned before hurt even worse.
“Sean Payton on where he’ll be hard on himself looking back: ‘Decisions like that. The tough ones. 4th and 1,’” Stevens wrote.
At any rate, Denver looks to take this season and now aims to further improve for next season, as with the team having been one win away from a Super Bowl appearance, there are going to be championship aspirations for sure. First, fans will be wondering about the recovery of Nix.
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