DENVER — As the snow swirled postgame at Empower Field at Mile High, the Broncos looked back at several unrealized early opportunities in Sunday's 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the Patriots.
"We hit some big plays, but I think the big thing was that first half, that first-half momentum and field position didn't yield what it needed to yield," Head Coach Sean Payton said. "… We needed more than that."
Long before the conditions deteriorated and the field became coated in snow, the Broncos struck first.
Quarterback Jarrett Stidham delivered a 52-yard arcing deep ball to Marvin Mims Jr. on third-and-10, and he found a wide-open Courtland Sutton two plays later for a 6-yard touchdown and the game's first points.
The Broncos, though, had a chance for more. Amid a stretch in which Denver's defense forced four consecutive punts to begin the game, the Broncos picked up three first downs on a key drive that pushed them to the New England 14-yard line. Denver, though, was unable to convert a fourth-and-1 attempt.
"It just felt like we had momentum to get up 14," Payton said. "It felt like we had a good call. … I think the feeling was, 'Man, let's be aggressive.' To get up 14, I was just watching the way our defense was playing."
While the Broncos would force a punt on the ensuing possession, a strip-sack on Denver's next offensive series set up New England's lone touchdown of the game.
"Obviously, I can't put our team in a bad position like that," Stidham said.
In the closing moments of the first half, the Broncos were unable to capitalize on another scoring chance — this time a field-goal attempt set up by a quick Patriots three-and-out.
Denver entered the locker room leading the yardage total by 77 yards and holding a 10-to-4 advantage in first downs. The Broncos held the Patriots to 3-of-8 on third downs and forced five punts across the first two quarters, while limiting Drake Maye to a 56.2 quarterback rating. And yet, the Broncos and Patriots ended the half with the score tied at 7.
"I felt like most of the first half we played on their side of the field," Payton said. "We didn't score enough points offensively or capitalize on that field position. The turnovers hurt us. We had our opportunities, but it starts with the head coach, the rest of our staff. Tip our hats to New England. It was a hard-fought game. I thought defensively, you don't know that it's going to be like this three-point game, but it became apparent that with each possession, a field goal, that type of thing was going to be real important. We weren't able to get it done, and it's tough, especially in this game — especially in this game."
As the snow began to fall in the second half, the Broncos continued to battle. They allowed just three points and forced three punts and a missed field goal.
But in the conditions, Denver could not add to its NFL record 13 comeback wins or add a seventh fourth-quarter comeback to its resume.
"It was a hard-fought game," Payton said, "and we didn't do enough to win it."
