The Denver Broncos dethroned the Kansas City Chiefs as the AFC West champions and secured the number one overall seed in the conference in what was a phenomenal regular season. However, things didn’t quite end the way Denver had hoped.
Franchise quarterback Bo Nix suffered a season-ending injury in the overtime period of the Broncos’ divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills. The setback proved too much to overcome, with the Broncos losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.
Denver had a chance to go up 10-0 at one point in the game, but head coach Sean Payton decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the red zone, seeking a 14-0 lead. The Patriots snuffed the play out, and Denver didn’t return to the red zone in the contest.
Payton expressed regret with how the sequence unfolded after the game.
“There’s always regrets,” Payton told reporters. “I felt like here we are fourth-and-1, close enough, and it’s also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. So, yeah, there’ll always be second thoughts.”
After fizzling out in such a brutal fashion, the Broncos made the decision to fire one of their top assistants, per one of the league’s top insiders.
“The #Broncos fired OC Joe Lombardi, per me and (Tom Pelissero),” reported NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
The #Broncos fired OC Joe Lombardi, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2026
Fans reacted to the firing on social media.
“He was the fall guy. When are you guys gonna admit the Quarterback is the actual problem?” one fan on Twitter wanted to know.
“I don’t understand what teams are wanting. Literally one win away from superbowl and had to field a backup qb that never played a snap all season. I hope these teams start chronically losing,” someone else added.
“Sean Payton should resign…..if he has any character left…..gassing up Stidham all week acting cocky…..Lombardi was thw scapegoat but Payton’s time is ticking ticking ticking for how much of (a jerk) he is,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see who Payton brings in to replace Lombardi.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.