There was plenty of blame to go around following the Denver Broncos‘ home loss to the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game — a 10-7 heartbreaker essentially played in a snow globe and with Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham making his first start in 2 years.
Even with that, the Broncos had plenty of chances to put the game away, including going for it on 4th-and-1 in the second quarter instead of kicking a 24-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead before the snow started swirling.
While head coach Sean Payton owned the disastrous decision not to kick the field goal in the second quarter, that wasn’t the only reason the Broncos lost.
Some of those reasons were out of their control. Like starting quarterback Bo Nix breaking his ankle in an AFC Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills.
Some of those reasons were not. Like dropped passes and the inability to get open by Broncos wide receivers.
“I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself, and I think there were a number of things that we just had to do better,” Payton said after the game. “We didn’t finish some runs, and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.”
Broncos Passed on WR Upgrade at Trade Deadline
Payton and the Broncos had a chance to make a massive deal at the NFL trade deadline for a superstar wide receiver but determined the price was too high.
After what happened against the Patriots, it’s pretty clear the Broncos should have paid up.
Several reports linked the Broncos to superstar Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle ahead of the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, November 4, but said the Broncos backed away when the price turned into a first round pick.
“The Broncos and a few other teams reached out to — and monitored — the Dolphins about WR Jaylen Waddle, but no deal will get done,” NFL insider Jordan Schultz wrote on his official X account. “Miami’s asking price was simply too high, per sources.”
Offseason Focus Will Be on Offensive Playmakers
The Broncos are pretty much set in stone on one side of the ball, where their defense is arguably the NFL’s best and has their best players under long-term contracts.
On offense, things are much more in flux outside of the offensive line.
The Broncos still haven’t found a long-term answer at running back yet, but 2025 second round pick RJ Harvey has shown he could become a featured back and scored a whopping 12 touchdowns as a rookie.
While wide receiver Courtland Sutton hit a massive payday before the season with a 4-year, $92 million contract extension, he’s hardly a top-tier player at his position. Sutton underwhelmed in the playoffs with 7 receptions for 70 yards and 1 touchdown in 2 games, including just 3 receptions for 17 yards against the Patriots and several key drops.
The Broncos just don’t have anything reliable beyond Sutton, which should necessitate making a splash in free agency.
“The Broncos cannot afford to go bargain-bin shopping for wide receivers this offseason,” Predominantly Orange’s Sayre Bedinger wrote on X. “They cannot have another offseason of ‘almost’ moves or finishing 2nd in the bidding for their top target. And they don’t just need one, either.”
Broncos WRs Called Out by Sean Payton After Title Game Loss