Officially, the New England Patriots are on their way to the Super Bowl, and on the other side of that news, the Denver Broncos have been eliminated from the playoffs. In this game, Denver had a massive mountain to climb with QB Bo Nix out, and when the weather became a major issue, the small lead the Patriots had was too much to overcome. The game ended 10-7,
One moment in the game can be pinpointed for the Broncos having only 7 points instead of 10, which, as the final score shows, was game-changing.
Denver Broncos HC Sean Payton’s Risky Decision Reared Its Ugly Head
Near the beginning of the second quarter, with 9 minutes left, the Broncos had the ball in the Patriots’ red zone. On fourth and one, with a backup QB who had little NFL starting time, and against a great defense, HC Sean Payton went for it. Instead of kicking the field goal and going up 10-0, the Broncos turned the ball over and did not score for the rest of the game.
For obvious reasons, after the game, many in the NFL World went back to that decision. Let’s look at some of those reactions:
One NFL Insider, John Frascella, stated, “This will definitely go down as the WORST decision of Sean Payton’s career.” “Horrible decision, horrible playcall, horrible result… may have cost the Broncos their entire season”.
This will definitely go down as the WORST decision of Sean Payton’s career.
Horrible decision, horrible playcall, horrible result… may have cost the Broncos their entire season
pic.twitter.com/nVm7BhQfvU— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) January 25, 2026
Former NFL player J.J. Watt pointed out, “That 4th & 1 in the first half is looming large right now.”
That 4th & 1 in the first half is looming large right now.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) January 25, 2026
“Sean Payton had a chance to go up by 10 at home in the AFC champions game with a backup quarterback, and he went for it on fourth and 1. He lost this game with that one bad decision,” said Ray Fittipaldo.
Sean Payton had a chance to go up by 10 at home in the AFC champions game with a backup quarterback, and he went for it on fourth and 1. He lost this game with that one bad decision.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) January 25, 2026
Charles Goldman declared, “Broncos lost this game when they decided to not take the points.”
Broncos lost this game when they decided to not take the points.
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) January 25, 2026
Jason Whitlock expressed:
Sean Payton mismanaged the game in the first half not taking the field goal. Longtime NFC South coach with a backup QB turns down 3 points because he doesn’t fully understand Denver weather.
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) January 25, 2026
NFL content creator Annie Agar joked:
good thing not kicking that FG didn’t come back to haunt sean payton.
— Annie Agar (@AnnieAgar) January 25, 2026
We will never know what would have happened if the Broncos had gone for the FG there, but one thing is for sure: the decision to go for it on fourth down was a mistake.
Surly, you never want to gamble and take points off the board in a game like this. But on the other hand, Sean Payton’s decision in my opinion Shaun Gold. If the Broncos would’ve made the first Down and scored everybody would agree with his decision
Instead of pointing fingers at Sean Payton, how about talking about the offensive line that didn’t allow that to happen
Exactly!!