Sean Payton's biggest regret from the Broncos' heartbreaking playoff loss to the Patriots may be a call he made early in the game that could have changed its course. On Sunday, the Broncos fell short of making it to the Super Bowl after a nail-biting 10-7 defeat at the hands of New England.
According to Payton, his biggest regret stems from a fourth-and-one play call on the Patriots' 14-yard line in the first half. The call was for a rollout pass by backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, but it was promptly blown up by the Patriots' defense, resulting in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.
Payton admitted that he's more upset about the play call than the decision itself. He cited using a timeout as a factor in his regret, suggesting that perhaps taking out a few seconds to reassess might have altered the outcome of the game.
The Broncos' offense was almost nonexistent for much of the second half, with quarterback Bo Nix - who is far more mobile than Stidham - being sorely missed. The team managed just 41 yards of total offense, and that lackluster performance ultimately led to their downfall.
A key play in the fourth quarter came when the Patriots capitalized on a backwards pass by Stidham, setting them up deep in Broncos territory and leading to a game-tying touchdown. The Patriots then drove down the field for the go-ahead field goal at the start of the third quarter.
The final nail in the coffin came with a game-sealing interception by Stidham, which sealed the deal for New England as they headed to Super Bowl 2026 against the Seahawks on February 8th.
According to Payton, his biggest regret stems from a fourth-and-one play call on the Patriots' 14-yard line in the first half. The call was for a rollout pass by backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, but it was promptly blown up by the Patriots' defense, resulting in an incomplete pass and a turnover on downs.
Payton admitted that he's more upset about the play call than the decision itself. He cited using a timeout as a factor in his regret, suggesting that perhaps taking out a few seconds to reassess might have altered the outcome of the game.
The Broncos' offense was almost nonexistent for much of the second half, with quarterback Bo Nix - who is far more mobile than Stidham - being sorely missed. The team managed just 41 yards of total offense, and that lackluster performance ultimately led to their downfall.
A key play in the fourth quarter came when the Patriots capitalized on a backwards pass by Stidham, setting them up deep in Broncos territory and leading to a game-tying touchdown. The Patriots then drove down the field for the go-ahead field goal at the start of the third quarter.
The final nail in the coffin came with a game-sealing interception by Stidham, which sealed the deal for New England as they headed to Super Bowl 2026 against the Seahawks on February 8th.
I mean, a rollout pass on 4th-and-1? Come on! You'd think he'd be more aggressive or at least consider a different angle. He's always going on about being "patient" and waiting for the right moment, but sometimes you just gotta take a shot and see what happens 
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. I was saying earlier that Payton needs to be more prepared for those kinds of situations, but it looks like he still has some growing up to do 
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. They were getting sacked way too much and couldn't even block well enough to give Bo Nix some time to make a play. Maybe they should've gone with a different QB or at least made some adjustments during the game 
! Sean Payton's gotta be killing himself over that fourth-and-one call 
. And can we talk about Bo Nix not being even on the field for most of the second half?! 
The Broncos' offense just didn't have any punch, and it's clear they're gonna miss their mobile QB. On the bright side, Stidham did make some crazy plays, but I'm still salty about that game 
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. You gotta go for it and try to convert that opportunity. A timeout would've been better than just throwing it away like that. And what's with Bo Nix not being in there? Dude's got wheels, he could've made some magic happen 
️! But no, Payton stuck with Stidham and... well, you know how that turned out 
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. I mean, come on Sean Payton, you're one of the best coaches in the league and you get blown up by a fourth-and-one play call? It's gotta be tough to swallow 
. The rollout pass thing doesn't make sense to me, like what was he thinking? And yeah, taking out that timeout would've definitely changed the game 
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I think Sean Payton's biggest regret is totally fair, though - calling a rollout pass by Jarrett Stidham on that fourth-and-one play was pure guts... or maybe not so much 
. The fact that they didn't take a timeout to reassess could've changed the course of the game for sure! 
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. The final interception sealed their fate for sure 
. Still, you gotta give Payton credit for making the tough call in the first place - not an easy decision by any means 
. Anyway, congrats to the Pats on making it to Super Bowl 2026! 
. And that backwards pass by Stidham? What was he even thinking?! 
. The Broncos' offense was basically a ghost town after halftime – Bo Nix is where it's at, fam! 
Anyway, congrats to the Patriots on making it to Super Bowl 2026 
, but I'm still salty about that play call 
might've changed everything.
. But man, that was a tough one to watch 