Six Broncos With the Biggest Impact on Ugly 10-7 Loss to Patriots

The Denver Broncos' season came to an end in a low-scoring affair in the AFC championship game against the New England Patriots. It was one of those games that came down to a handful of plays.

Unfortunately, the Broncos were on the wrong end of a 10-7 loss, which ended their season with a 15-4 overall record. Although the loss was disappointing, it does not diminish what the Broncos have accomplished throughout the season.

The Broncos can learn from the game and figure out what they need to do better the next time they're in that position. A few performances on Sunday made a huge difference in the outcome.

Let's break it down, for better or worse.

Jarrett Stidham | QB

Let's start with the obvious player. Against the Patriots, Stidham made his first NFL start since Week 18 of the 2023 season, when he took over for Russell Wilson as the Broncos' starting quarterback.

Stidham was shaky to start, but he bounced back to hit Marvin Mims, Jr. for a 52-yard pass that set up a six-yard touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton. The play seemed to help him relax and focus in.

Unfortunately, Stidham's biggest mistake turned out to be the one that made the difference in the outcome. On 3rd-&-4 at the Broncos' 34-yard line, Stidham dropped back to pass and was met with a swarm of Patriots defenders.

Stidham then proceeded to pump fake, but then tried a backwards pass that was recovered by the Patriots. The play was reviewed, but the officials eventually ruled it a turnover. That set up the Patriots' only touchdown of the game.

This was a case of Stidham needing to take a sack, even if it meant the Broncos punting the ball. At least it would have flipped the field. Instead, his mistake gave the Patriots a short field, and it proved costly.

Courtland Sutton | WR

Sutton deserves credit for his touchdown reception and he was playing well early on. However, he had two costly drops that could have kept drives going in the first half.

On the Broncos' third drive, Stidham made a pass to Sutton that hit the receiver's hands and fell incomplete. That pass came on 3rd-&-9 and could have been a significant gain, but Sutton failed to haul it in, even if it wasn't the best throw from Stidham.

A second drop occurred on the Broncos' fifth drive of the first half, in which Stidham hit Sutton for a potential first down, and while it wasn't a great throw, the Pro Bowl receiver dropped it. This one wasn't as costly as the Broncos gained a first down on the next play, but it didn't help matters, either.

Quinn Meinerz | RG

Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz (77) sets to block in the AFC Championship football game vs. the New England Patriots. — January 25, 2026: Denver Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz (77) sets to block in the AFC Championship football game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots. | Derek Regensburger / IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire

The Patriots have improved on defense in the second half of the season and found ways to pressure Stidham. However, Meinerz was a culprit in that pressure, turning in some poor play in crucial moments.

Meinerz was lacking as a run blocker in the AFC title game, and that made things more difficult for RJ Harvey and Jaleel McLaughlin — both backs who needed help from the offensive line to pick up longer gains.

But pass protection was where Meinerz had his biggest issues. In one case, he whiffed on a block that led to Stidham taking a sack. The All-Pro's blocking miscue was the type that would have led to a sack regardless of who was the quarterback.

Meinerz has been a quality player but he turned in a sub-par performance in the AFC championship.

Talanoa Hufanga | S

Hufanga was a quality free-agent signing for the Broncos, and he's turned in some strong play, earning second-team All-Pro honors. He made several stops in the backfield, keeping the Patriots from getting consistent production in the run game.

Hufanga has also shown he's good in coverage, but unfortunately, he's dropped several potential interceptions. One of those came against the Patriots, in which he did a great job of reading a quick Drake Maye throw targeting Stefon Diggs, but the ball hit his hands, and he dropped it.

The Broncos did score their first touchdown after the Patriots punted, but it would have been nice to have seen Hufanga come through early on. Still, he's far from the biggest reason the Broncos lost.

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Wil Lutz | K

Denver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz (3) prepares to kick a field goal against the New England Patriots. It was blocked. — Jan 25, 2026; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos place kicker Wil Lutz (3) prepares to kick a field goal against the New England Patriots during the second half in the 2026 AFC Championship Game at Empower Field at Mile High. | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It's tough to put Lutz on this list, given the weather conditions. But the fact is that the Broncos had a chance to put six points on the board, and he failed to come through.

Lutz's first missed field goal came after the Broncos got great field position near the end of the first half. The Broncos were in position for a 54-yard field goal, with conditions that weren't ideal but not as bad as they would later become. His attempt was a bit wide to the right.

The second miss came after the Broncos got their best field position of the game after a bad Patriots punt in the fourth quarter. Denver got the ball to the Patriots' 28-yard line and set up a 45-yard field-goal try for Lutz. Unfortunately, a Patriots player got his hand on the ball just enough to ensure it was no good.

We learned after the game from Lutz himself that he and punter/holder Jeremy Crawshaw may have lined up a yard too close to the line of scrimmage, which directly led to the kick's low trajectory. Regardless of the situation, though, those missed field goals were costly and likely plays Lutz wishes he could get back.

Sean Payton | HC

To be fair to Payton, he did a respectable job of calling the game. He went with the run more often and passed only when he had no choice. Late in the game, with the Broncos trailing with 2:18 left, Payton had to call pass plays to give the Broncos a chance.

But it was a fourth-down play call in the second quarter that needs to be questioned — not because Payton left points on the field, but because he called for a pass play when that wasn't the best decision.

On 4th-&-1 with 9:22 left in the second quarter, the Broncos didn't take the field goal attempt, opting to go for it. Payton wasn't necessarily wrong to go for it, but instead of calling a run play that worked earlier when the Broncos needed a yard to convert (a three-yard gain by Adam Prentice), he had Stidham drop back to pass.

The problem is that Stidham is not the type of quarterback who excels in the type of situation this play called for. He never had a chance.

Now, there's no guarantee that a run play would have worked, especially based on New England's six-man front. However, if the Broncos kick the field goal and everything else stays the same, it's 10-10 and likely going to overtime.

When going for it on 4th-&-1 and your quarterback isn't suited to make a particular type of play, it's better to run the football, particularly when you showed just a couple of plays earlier that you can convert with a run in a short-yardage situation. Either that, or take the points.

The Takeaway

The point here is not for Broncos players, coaches and fans to dwell on what might have been, but to learn from the mistakes made and what needs to be done better next season.

And while it's a tough loss to swallow, the Broncos still did a lot of good things in 2025. They just need to show they can build on it for 2026, from doing more to win big in games that, on paper, the matchup clearly favors them, to showing they can win the AFC West again and make another deep playoff run.