The Denver Broncos lost the AFC title game by three points to the New England Patriots in a game where the team outplayed New England, but a lack of overall execution on offense and a poor turnover by Jarrett Stidham were huge factors here.
The Patriots, once again, are headed back to the Super Bowl. It will be another berth in the big game for this team, who also appeared in the Super Bowl in 2014, 2016, and 2018. They went one-and-done in the playoffs in 2019. The Denver Broncos will have to wait until 2026 for another shot at making the Super Bowl, but that could have been prevented.
For as elite of a head coach as Sean Payton is, this puzzling decision in the first half on fourth down may have cost Denver a shot at a Lombardi Trophy.
Sean Payton's refusal to take the points may have just cost the Denver Broncos a Super Bowl
The Denver Broncos had a fourth and short in the first half with a 7-0 lead, and it was a perfect opportunity to go up by 10 points with a backup QB under center. Not only did the Broncos elect to go for it, but the play-call itself felt a bit wonky.
The Patriots stopped the fourth down and prevented the Broncos from going up by 10 points, later tying the game at 7 and then taking the lead, eventually winning by 3 points. All in all, that could have been the main thing that came back to bite Denver - with a backup QB in the game, you would think that the smart, right idea here would be to take the points?
I guess Payton wanted to be aggressive, but it was not the right call and felt like the wrong call from the moment the offense stayed out on the field. At the end of the day, the Broncos were going to be at a bit of a disadvantage since Bo Nix was out, but the team had their chances.
While some of the on-field moments were not always capitalized on by the Denver Broncos, this one coaching decision could have prevented Denver from playing for a Super Bowl. The game was going to be low-scoring, so it's odd that the points weren't taken here.