The Denver Broncos had a phenomenal regular season, dethroning the Kansas City Chiefs as the AFC West champions and securing the number one overall seed in the conference.
Unfortunately, starting quarterback Bo Nix suffered a playoff-ending injury in the Broncos’ divisional round win over the Buffalo Bills, and ultimately, the injury became too much to overcome, with the Broncos losing 10-7 to the New England Patriots in the conference championship.
The Broncos had a chance to go up 10-0 at one point in the game, but head coach Sean Payton elected to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the red zone. The Broncos were denied and didn’t return to the red zone in the game.
After the game, Payton expressed regret with how the sequence unfolded.
“There’s always regrets,” Payton admitted. “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.”
In the aftermath of the loss and the questionable decision, the Broncos have fired one of their top assistants.
“The #Broncos fired OC Joe Lombardi, per me and (Tom Pelissero),” reported Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
The #Broncos fired OC Joe Lombardi, per me and @TomPelissero.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 27, 2026
It’ll be interesting to see who Payton nabs as Lombardi’s replacement following the brutal end to what was an amazing season.
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.