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5 takeaways from Broncos' 10-7 loss to Patriots in AFC Championship
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- 5 takeaways from Broncos' 10-7 loss to Patriots in AFC Championship
The Denver Broncos fell to the New England Patriots in a 10-7 loss in the AFC Championship game at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday afternoon. Here are five quick takeaways from the defeat.
1. Broncos ' 4th down decision was costly: Midway through the second quarter, Denver faced 4th-and-1 at New England 's 14-yard line with a 7-0 lead. Instead of attempting a short field goal to make it 10-0, coach Sean Payton opted to run a pass play, and quarterback Jarrett Stidham 's pass fell incomplete after nearly being intercepted. Hindsight, of course, is 20/20, and that decision — and play call — proved to be costly in an eventual three-point loss. In a game that ended up being a defensive struggle, a field goal there could have flipped the outcome on Sunday.
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2. Jarrett Stidham should have taken a sack: Some fans will argue that Stidham's pass was not backward and shouldn't have been ruled a fumble. Regardless of whether or not it was correctly ruled a fumble, Stidham should have simply taken a sack and lived another down instead of putting the ball in harm's way. Protecting the ball is something starter Bo Nix excelled at this season, and Stidham's lost fumble and later interception ultimately sunk the Broncos ' chances.
3. That game will haunt Wil Lutz : The 31-year-old kicker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt in the second quarter and he had a 45-yard attempt blocked in the fourth quarter. Had he converted those two kicks, Denver could be preparing to play in the Super Bowl. Lutz is now 2-of-7 in the postseason on field goal attempts of 50 yards or more. He said after the game that he hadn't kicked in those kinds of conditions before. The second-half snowstorm had a big impact on the outcome of the game, and Lutz won't soon forget that loss.
4. No takeaways hurt Denver: One week after the Broncos forced five takeaways in the divisional round and ended up plus-four in the turnover battle, Denver's defense was unable to force any takeaways on Sunday. Stidham's two giveaways were costly, and while the defense sacked Drake Maye five times, he held onto the ball each time, and Maye had no interceptions on 21 pass attempts. On a day when the offense struggled, the Broncos needed a spark from the defense or special teams, and neither unit was able to deliver a game-changing play.
5. Bo Nix will be back in 2026: Fans can only wonder how differently that game might have gone had Nix been under center. The 25-year-old quarterback underwent ankle surgery last week and he's expected to recover in time for the offseason program this spring. Through two seasons in the NFL, Nix has totaled 8,989 yards from scrimmage and scored 68 touchdowns in 36 games. Nix holds the record for the most wins (24) through a QB's first two seasons in the NFL, and he took a big step forward in Year 2. Nix will be back in 2026, and the Broncos will undoubtedly meet the Patriots in the playoffs again down the road.
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Attention now turns toward the offseason in Denver. The Broncos will have salary cap space to make splashes in free agency and up to 10 picks in the 2026 NFL draft, depending on how comp picks are sorted out this spring.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Denver Broncos: 5 takeaways from 10-7 loss to New England Patriots
