Payton rues 4th-down call after stalling in snow

By Jeff Legwold Jan 26, 2026 ESPN NFL

Payton rues 4th-down call after stalling in snow

DENVER -- So much promise, so many hopes and the biggest of football dreams eluded the Denver Broncos on Sunday, coach Sean Payton said, because the offense didn't do enough when it had momentum before the snow rolled in off the Rocky Mountains.

Payton said he will find several "regrets'' when he looks at it all again, most notably when he passed up points in the second quarter, as the Broncos dropped passes and the run game fizzled in a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game in Empower Field at Mile High.

"[I'm] hurting for every one of those players in that locker room,'' Payton said. "There'll be a number of things when we watch the tape and I'll look at and critique and pay close attention to. ... It was a hard-fought game, and we didn't do enough to win it.''

The Broncos, …


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