The thing about windows, though, is that they close. Denver has two more seasons before it has to start thinking about a massive extension for quarterback Bo Nix, which will put considerable strain on their long-term cap. It’s no secret. The world knows it. Those inside the Broncos’ facility know it. Their time to strike is now, heading into 2026 free agency with roughly $28 million in current cap room — — and plenty of levers to pull to create more space and throw money around in the market.

It’s also no secret that the Broncos need more skill talent. They need to add a running back, tight end, and potentially wide receiver. They need a linebacker either in free agency or the draft, and quietly have some options at safety. In January, owner Greg Penner described Denver’s approach with a phrase that’ll come to define this offseason, whatever size of swing the front office takes: “We’ll be opportunistically aggressive.”

The legal tampering period of free agency, when teams can officially make contact with players and agents, begins at 10:00 a.m. MT Monday. New contracts can officially be signed come 2:00 p.m. MT on Wednesday. Here’s The Denver Post’s position-by-position Broncos guide to 2026 free agency, informed via numerous conversations with NFL agents and sources across the past two weeks.

Quarterback

Who Denver has: QB1 Bo Nix, QB2 Jarrett Stidham

Who Denver could lose: QB3 Sam Ehlinger

What Denver needs: Another QB in the room, and to re-sign Ehlinger

Key market options (former team in parenthesis): Zach Wilson (Dolphins), Sam Howell (Eagles), Teddy Bridgewater (Buccaneers)

This will depend entirely on whether the Broncos actually shop Stidham, and potentially save themselves $6.5 million in corresponding cap room. If they trade Stidham to a quarterback-needy team for some draft capital, Denver could easily look to re-sign Ehlinger and promote him to Nix’s official backup, after Ehlinger stuck to Davis Webb’s hip in 2025. The Broncos would clearly need another name to push Ehlinger in such a circumstance, though.

If that wouldn’t be a young draft pick, the Broncos could look to bring back Zach Wilson, who was part of a tight-knit group with Nix and Stidham in Denver in 2024. Paton also did plenty of work on longtime backup Howell in the 2022 draft, and former Bronco Bridgewater was Sean Payton’s trusted backup in New Orleans in 2018 and 2019.

Running back

Who Denver has: RB1/RB2 RJ Harvey, RB3 Tyler Badie (likely to sign ERFA deal)

Who Denver could lose: RB1/RB2 J.K. Dobbins, RB4 Jaleel McLaughlin

What Denver needs: A true RB1 or Harvey complement, and depth

Key market options: Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks), Travis Etienne Jr. (Jaguars), Rico Dowdle (Panthers), Tyler Allgeier (Falcons), Kenneth Gainwell (Steelers), Emanuel Wilson (Packers)

Here’s the spot that’ll draw the most buzz next week. The Broncos have already been connected to some of the top names on the market, clearly needing an upgrade in the room even if Denver brings back Dobbins on the cheap; the oft-injured veteran simply can’t be relied upon to play a full season. The Seahawks elected not to give Walker a one-year, $14 million franchise tag after a Super Bowl MVP, and the star RB could easily command upwards of $12 to $14 million on the market.

Would Denver swing on that price, though? Walker wasn’t good in pass protection last year (two sacks and nine pressures in 51 pass-blocking snaps, per PFF), and the Broncos need a third-down back whom Nix trusts. The 5-foot-11, 215-pound Etienne is a highly intriguing fit for Denver, a bigger back who’s dynamic in the passing game (six receiving touchdowns in 2025). The 25-year-old Allgeier is a power back without excessive tread on the tires who could be available at a lower price, but expect Denver to look elsewhere.

Don’t be surprised if the Broncos walk away with Dobbins, Harvey and a supplemental piece instead of swinging big here. Wilson is an interesting name, a 226-pound RB who ran for 496 yards in Green Bay last season.

Wide receiver

Who Denver has: WR1 Courtland Sutton, WR2 Troy Franklin, WR3 Pat Bryant, WR4 Marvin Mims Jr.

Who Denver could lose: WR5 Lil’Jordan Humphrey

What Denver needs: A high-upside complement to Sutton, or at least another trustworthy WR4/5 option

Key market options: Alec Pierce (Colts), Jauan Jennings (49ers), Wan’Dale Robinson (Giants), Rashid Shaheed (Seahawks), Mike Evans (Buccaneers), Stefon Diggs (Patriots), Romeo Doubs (Packers), Jahan Dotson (Eagles), Jalen Nailor (Vikings)

The Broncos like their current receiver room. The Paton-Payton braintrust has made that clear this entire offseason, and their firing of receivers coach Keary Colbert and hire of longtime Payton associate Ronald Curry signal that Denver believes in unlocking the potential of its current group rather than needing a drastic personnel overhaul. That being said, they need to add a piece here, whether in free agency or via a deep draft class.

Pierce is the true difference-maker on the market. There are few in the NFL like him, a 6-foot-3 deep-ball extraordinaire who racked up 1,003 yards last year on 21.3 yards per catch. Denver got an up-close look at him in a Week 2 loss to Indianapolis. But one agent The Post spoke with pinpointed Pierce’s likely market value at $27 to $30 million, which would be a steep price for a team already giving Sutton $23 million yearly. Don’t expect Denver to get into a bidding war for him.

The rest of the market is somewhat iffy. Jennings has the frame (6-foot-3), blocking prowess and red-zone ability (nine TDs in 2025) that Payton would love. Robinson will likely land somewhere in the $10 to $15 million range, and would bring a high-volume slot weapon that Denver doesn’t currently have.

Doubs is a definite potential fit for the Broncos here; Denver has interest in the former Green Bay receiver, an NFL source told The Post. He’s a big-bodied target who doesn’t demand the ball but has good red-zone production and can play in a variety of alignments. Keep an eye on Dotson as a potential depth piece, too, as Dotson’s agency CAA also represents Nix. He’s a former 2022 first-round pick whose production stalled out in Philadelphia, but he can block, play from the slot and hasn’t dropped a pass since 2023.

Tight end

Who Denver has: TE1/TE2 Evan Engram

Who Denver could lose: TE1/TE2 Adam Trautman, TE3 Nate Adkins, TE4 Lucas Krull

What Denver needs: A legitimate in-line TE who can complement Engram as a pass-catcher, and stay on the field on any down

Key market options: David Njoku (Browns), Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Cade Otton (Buccaneers), Chig Okonkwo (Titans), Dallas Goedert (Eagles), Daniel Bellinger (Giants), Charlie Kolar (Ravens)

Denver can’t simply run it back from 2025 and expect better production from Engram, who caught 50 passes for 461 yards in 2025, under new play-caller Davis Webb. The Broncos need a versatile weapon whom they trust as both a blocker and a matchup-threat receiver. Otton might just be that guy: he played in-line (attached to the offensive tackle) on nearly half his snaps in Tampa Bay in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus, and has caught 59 passes in each of the last two seasons.

Otton’s yearly value has been pinpointed in NFL circles somewhere around Jake Ferguson’s four-year, $50 million extension with Dallas in 2025. If Denver wants to spend at TE, he and Likely would be the most well-rounded options on the Market. Njoku and Goedert are likely past their primes, and Okonkwo’s not a blocker.

Bellinger had 88 yards and a touchdown for the Giants against Denver in Week 7, and is seeking $7 to $8 million yearly. Kolar is the most intriguing upside swing here, a 6-foot-6 blocker who was stuck behind multiple TEs in Baltimore in the receiving game.

Offensive line

Who Denver has: LT1 Garett Bolles, LG1 Ben Powers, C1 Luke Wattenberg, RG1 Quinn Meinerz, RT1 Mike McGlinchey, OL2 Alex Palczewski, OT2 Matt Peart, OT2 Frank Crum, C2 Alex Forsyth

Who Denver could lose: Nobody

What Denver needs: Maybe another swing tackle

Key market options: Wide-open

Denver doesn’t need to spend here, with its current starting offensive line set again for 2026. The Broncos could always look to cut or deal Powers to create cap room and have a ready successor in Alex Palczewski, whom they inked to a two-year extension Thursday. It’s more likely they look to the draft to bolster depth here, although they could certainly cut Peart to save over $3 million in cap room and target another backup tackle in free agency. Players like former Vikings veteran Justin Skule or Seahawks backup Josh Jones could be good value there.

Defensive line

Who Denver has: DE1 Zach Allen, NT1 D.J. Jones, OLB1 Nik Bonitto, OLB2 Jonathon Cooper, DE/DT2 Eyioma Uwazurike, DT2 Malcolm Roach, OLB2 Jonah Elliss, OLB2 Dondrea Tillman (likely to sign ERFA deal), OLB3 Que Robinson, DE/DT3 Sai’vion Jones

Who Denver could lose: DE1 John Franklin-Myers, DE/DT3 Jordan Jackson

What Denver needs: A cheap, productive interior defensive lineman to push Uwazurike, Roach and Jones

Key market options: Logan Hall (Buccaneers), David Onyemata (Falcons), Calais Campbell (Cardinals), Sebastian Joseph-Day (Titans), Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Giants)

The Broncos already have massive amounts of money tied up in their defensive line, and Franklin-Myers is already all but gone. His likely landing spot is Tennessee, where recently-acquired defensive end The thinking from agents who spoke with The Post is that Denver could bring in depth to help supplant Franklin-Myers, but will likely rely on its pieces already in the building to fill the void.

Ironically, the Broncos’ movements in the defensive-line market will depend on Franklin-Myers’ own movements. Agents are completely across the board on projecting Franklin-Myers’ yearly value in a weak class; one suggested $12 to $14 million, one suggested $16 to $18 million, and one went as high as $20 to $22 million. If teams end up bidding closer to that higher end, it could price the Broncos out of what they’d be willing to spend for another body in the room. Onyemata, Joseph-Day and Nunez-Roches could all offer cheap, veteran depth.

Inside linebacker

Who Denver has: LB1 Dre Greenlaw, LB2/LB3 Karene Reid, LB2/LB3 Jordan Turner, LB2/LB3 Levelle Bailey, LB2/LB3 Drew Sanders

Who Denver could lose: LB1 Alex Singleton, LB1/LB2 Justin Strnad

What Denver needs: An instant-impact starter, or at the very least a high-end LB3.

Key market options: Devin Lloyd (Jaguars), Nakobe Dean (Eagles), Quay Walker (Packers), Quincy Williams (Jets), Kaden Elliss (Falcons), Alex Anzalone (Lions), E.J. Speed (Texans), Bobby Okereke (Giants)

It’s a great year to need a middle linebacker. Denver could certainly look to a strong draft class to address this spot. But an NFL source who met with Denver at last week’s NFL Combine told The Post that the Broncos will have a “significant appetite” in the free-agent linebacker market.

That could mean they’ll take a monster swing on Lloyd, a 2025 All-Pro and the kind of playmaker that Vance Joseph would have a field day with in the middle of Denver’s defense. It could also mean they’ll re-sign Singleton as their green-dot defensive leader — he’s been pinpointed by multiple NFL sources at somewhere between $5 to $8 million yearly — and add another piece to compete for a starting job. Strnad is likely headed for new pastures, as he told The Post after the season he wouldn’t be back in Denver unless it was in a clear starting role.

The Broncos have interest in Anzalone and Speed, sources said, both potential green-dot options or LB3 pieces who will come in below the top of the market, where NFL sources pinpointed Lloyd likely to come in between $15 and $17 million annually. Dean is another interesting and versatile option who told The Post at the Super Bowl he likes watching the Broncos’ defense and would be interested in Denver in free agency if the price was right.

Secondary

Who Denver has: CB1 Pat Surtain II, CB1 Riley Moss, NB1 Ja’Quan McMillian, NB2/CB2 Jahdae Barron, CB2 Kris Abrams-Draine, S1 Talanoa Hufanga, S1 Brandon Jones, S2 Devon Key (likely to sign ERFA deal), S2 JL Skinner

Who Denver could lose: S2 P.J. Locke

What Denver needs: A third safety to replace Locke and potentially push Jones

Key market options: Tony Adams (Jets), Dane Belton (Giants), Kyle Dugger (Steelers), Andrew Wingard (Jaguars), Alohi Gilman (Ravens), Ifeatu Melifonwu (Dolphins), D’Anthony Bell (Panthers), Rodney Thomas II (Colts)

A notable Broncos development to track in free agency: Denver has expressed interest in adding a safety, several NFL sources told The Post this week. Locke is likely headed elsewhere after a nice fill-in stretch for the injured Jones late in 2025, and the Broncos want to add another piece to replace him, as Hufanga and Jones are both injury risks. Wingard is a name to watch here, a seven-year Jaguars veteran who recorded 84 tackles and nine passes defensed as a full-time starter in 2025.

The Broncos also did work on Melifonwu in last year’s free agency, and Denver tracked Bell’s status on the waiver wire as the Seahawks pulled him between the practice squad and active roster in 2025, sources said. At the very least, expect Denver to sign a depth safety who can also be a special-teams contributor.

Special teams

Who Denver has: K1 Wil Lutz, P1 Jeremy Crawshaw, LS1 Mitchell Fraboni

Who Denver could lose: Nobody

What Denver needs: Nothing

Key market options: Wide open

Denver need not spend much time here on specialists.

There is always some refurbishing and refreshing to do, however.

Head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton, in the past month, have each expressed confidence in Denver’s roster and also acknowledged that there are areas in need of upgrade.

The Broncos must find more offensive playmaking. They must fill some gaps at linebacker, running back and tight end.

That quest starts in earnest this week, as Denver considers whether to push to retain any of its impending free agents and then hits the legal tampering period with all free agents beginning Monday.

As an organization, the Broncos boast the best salary cap health they’ve had in years. Russell Wilson is finally, officially off their books when the 2026 league year begins on March 11.

Denver as of Thursday sports just $1.2 million in dead salary cap, the third-lowest mark in the NFL after Chicago traded receiver D.J. Moore to Buffalo.

Payton pointed to that reality after the season when asked about Denver’s ability to improve this offseason.

“If I said I’m going to give you $50,000 to decorate your home or $200,000, your home’s going to look nicer, I think, if you’re a decent shopper, if you have more money.

“The same takes place with our sport.”

Denver’s basically debt-free, but the club has also already spent some of its decorating money.

In fact, last year the Broncos went into free agency with about $40 million in cap space. They could do so again this season by moving money around, restructuring a couple of contracts and perhaps cutting a player or two — some of that kind of work is expected in the coming days — but at the moment they’re sitting at around $21 million in space, according to OvertheCap data.

The Broncos have been on a big run over the past 18 months, rewarding 10 of their own players with long-term deals. They got a jump on free agency, in a way, over their bye week last fall by getting deals done with a trio of impending free agents in C Luke Wattenberg, DL Malcolm Roach and K Wil Lutz.

“Just think if we didn’t get those guys wrapped up, what we’d be facing,” Paton said last month at the NFL Combine. “Every offseason is a little bit of, ‘Wow, how are we going to feed…’ But if we didn’t have all those guys done, just think of how much more daunting the offseason would be. It����ap really important to get ahead of it.”

Then Denver used another $5.8 million in space to place a second-round restricted free agency tender on nickel Ja’Quan McMillian, though that number would change if Denver works out a long-term deal with him in the coming months. The Broncos also agreed to a two-year, $9.5 million deal with Alex Palczewski on Thursday and they’ll need about $4 million in space for their draft class next month, based on their current selections.

With those numbers in mind, here is a non-exhaustive list of players the Broncos could look to if they’re trying to create more cap space.

Cut/restructure candidates

OL Ben Powers

ILB Dre Greenlaw

Greenlaw signed a three-year deal last spring, but it was essentially one year, $11.5 million and we’ll see. Now, we’re about to see. Greenlaw played well when he was on the field, but staying on the field was an issue. Cutting the linebacker would save $6 million on the cap and incur $4.33 million in dead cap. It����ap really just a matter of if the Broncos want him back on the roster in 2026.

TE Evan Engram

Engram’s deal was a two-year pact last spring, but it came with stronger guarantees than Greenlaw’s. Cutting the veteran would save $3.8 million on the cap but incur $10.33 million in dead cap. Certainly not impossible for Denver to swallow, but it also doesn’t make much sense unless the Broncos really think his skills are diminished or they have a ready-made replacement. At the moment, they do not.

OL Matt Peart

A fairly straightforward one here. Peart was signed last spring as a swing tackle, but Palczewski and Frank Crum both showed signs of promise during the season after Peart tore his MCL in Week 6 in London. Denver can save $3.225 million and take $750,000 in dead cap by releasing him.

Extension candidates

S Brandon Jones

Jones is entering the final of a three-year, $20 million deal that����ap been a bargain for the Broncos. He did miss the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs with a torn pectoral, but he’s been a high-quality player for Denver. Jones carries a $9.243 cap number into 2026, which could be dropped substantially with an extension. If the Broncos want to explore other safety options on the market or think they’ve seen Jones’ best ball, they could save $7.41 million and take $1.83 million dead by cutting him.

WR Marvin Mims

Mims is entering the final year of his rookie deal and carries a $6.12 million cap number. That����ap not huge, obviously, but an extension would likely bring it down some. Payton’s talked about finding more touches for Mims, but part of the challenge in an extension is the sides agreeing on appropriate value given Mims’ on-again, off-again usage so far and his terrific return ability. Perhaps a mid-season revisit makes more sense.

Hold the line

RT Mike McGlinchey

The Broncos have Palczewski under contract for two years after Thursday’s agreement, but they’re not likely to cut McGlinchey and incur $15.325 million in dead cap along with $8.45 million in cap savings. Especially after McGlinchey played arguably his best football in 2025. In fact, a short extension might feel tempting because of the quality of play and the potential to lop $10 million or more off the 2026 cap. The prudent move, though, is to get through the upcoming season with McGlinchey at his current, team-high $23.775 million cap charge and decide what the future at right tackle looks like from there.

“We go back to the start of the race,” Payton said at his end-of-season press conference. “Every 32 teams have to go back and go meet their parents, eat their oranges and get ready to start again.”

“I’d say we’ll be opportunistically aggressive,” Penner said Wednesday.

Before free agency hits in March and the NFL Draft rolls around in April, the organization has plenty of in-house decisions to make with expiring contracts and coaching moves.

Here’s The Denver Post’s complete guide to a key offseason for these Broncos.

Who are the Broncos’ unrestricted free agents?

The Broncos have 11 players whose contracts have expired and are set to hit free agency. Here’s a rundown with age, stats, and intel on their chances of landing back in Denver or elsewhere.

DL John Franklin-Myers (29)

2025 stats: 16 games, 7.5 sacks, 15 QB hits, 25 tackles

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��Denver has yet to approach Franklin-Myers on an extension, and doesn’t seem likely to start now. Franklin-Myers has anticipated since August that he’ll hit free agency and should be a top defensive-line option on the market. According to a source, Franklin-Myers’ camp is looking at the Miami Dolphins’ 2025 extension for Zach Sieler — three years, $64 million for a highly-productive 29-year-old defensive tackle — as a salary floor. The Broncos have already committed big money to their defensive line. Franklin-Myers is all but gone.

LB Alex Singleton (32)

2025 stats: 16 games, 135 tackles, one sack, three tackles for loss

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��The NFL can be a cruel world. Singleton earned the Broncos’ 2025 Ed Block Courage Award — the team’s easiest decision of the season — after returning from a torn ACL in 2024 and then returning midseason from testicular cancer surgery. The veteran linebacker had arguably the best year of his career in 2025 and is still a downhill force in the run game and the play-caller of Denver’s defense. The Broncos, though, have yet to pay Singleton and could elect to bring in younger talent this offseason. This could depend if Vance Joseph is back as the defensive coordinator in 2026.

TE Adam Trautman (28)

2025 stats: 17 games, 20 catches, 195 yards, one TD

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��One of Payton’s favorites here. Trautman has pretty much put up the same stats for six years since beginning his career with Payton in New Orleans in 2020. He wants to be back in Denver and fills a key and trusted role in Payton’s system as a blocker.

S P.J. Locke (28)

2025 stats: 16 games, 16 tackles, 3 passes defended

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��After serving as a backup most of the year, veteran Locke stepped back into a starting role and was invaluable once safety Brandon Jones went down in December. Across five starts at safety across the regular season and playoffs, he allowed just five catches in 17 targets as the nearest defender in coverage, according to Next Gen Stats. There’s no easy path to a starting job with Talanoa Hufanga and Jones returning, and Locke’s likely to hit the open market.

LB Justin Strnad (29)

2025 stats: 16 games, 58 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight QB hits

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��Strnad established himself as possibly the best linebacker on the Broncos’ roster in filling in for both Dre Greenlaw and Alex Singleton across the 2025 season. After two years in spot-starter duty, he’s now fully committed to looking for a starting job somewhere, as he told The Post this week. Will that be in Denver, though? The Broncos will have to clear a path for him to keep him.

RB J.K. Dobbins (27)

2025 stats: 10 games, 772 rushing yards, 5.0 yards per carry, four total touchdowns

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��The Broncos’ most important skill piece of 2025 nearly made it back in three months from a Lisfranc injury in November. The issue: the running back has played just 47 of a possible 101 regular-season games in his six-year career. Dobbins was an invaluable piece of the team’s locker room, and the Broncos could look to bring him back as a veteran presence despite injury concerns. He went into last year’s offseason trying to bide his time until a team needed him in training camp, and he seems poised for the same position this offseason.

FB Michael Burton (33)

2025 stats: N/A (hamstring injury)

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��Payton’s trusty fullback signed back in 2025 but didn’t play a single game with a hamstring injury. Payton loyalists always have a place, but there’s no real reason for Denver to bring back Burton.

TE Marcedes Lewis (41)

2025 stats: 5 games, no catches, no yards

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��The Big Dog first has to decide if he’ll even continue playing in 2026. The Broncos brought in Lewis for his blocking and locker-room presence in 2025, but Lewis won’t be any kind of priority this offseason.

WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey (27)

2025 stats: 7 games, 9 catches, 101 yards, one touchdown

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��Humphrey signed back with Denver off the Giants’ practice squad midseason, and became an important receiver as Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin got banged up down the stretch. Payton loves Humphrey’s abilities as a blocker. His status will depend on whether another team shows enough interest to pull Humphrey away.

C Sam Mustipher (29)

2025 stats: 1 game

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��The Broncos brought in Mustipher late in the year after starter Luke Wattenberg went down, and Mustipher played some important late-season snaps. Again, not an immediate priority.

QB Sam Ehlinger (27)

2025 stats: N/A

���ܳٱ��Ǵǰ�:��Ehlinger became an important piece of a tight-knit Broncos QB room in 2025, and predictably never saw action behind Nix and Jarrett Stidham. He’ll likely try to follow quarterbacks coach Davis Webb wherever he goes.

Who are the Broncos’ restricted free agents?

CB Ja’Quan McMillian (25), OL Alex Palczewski (26), RB Jaleel McLaughlin (25), TE Nate Adkins (26), TE Lucas Krull (27), DL Matt Henningsen (26) 

The Broncos have an interesting group of restricted free agents. Remember, with restricted free agents, the team has three tender options — original draft round, second or first — that come with set salaries and give the team the right of first refusal to match any deal another team offers. If Denver doesn’t match, then the signing team must give the draft pick that aligns with the tender.

A first-round tender is a rarely used tool — more on that with McMillian below — though Payton’s Saints did use one with Taysom Hill in 2020 before signing him to a two-year extension in April of that year. Of Denver’s restricted free agents group, only Henningsen (2022 sixth round) was actually drafted, so the original-round tender is mostly out of the equation, too.

Every player in the group has had a role at some point in his career in Denver. So, interesting choices ahead and certainly some extension candidates in the group ranging from modest to blockbuster.

Who are the Broncos’ exclusive-rights free agents?

S Devon Key (27), OLB Dondrea Tillman (27), DL Jordan Jackson (27), RB Tyler Badie (25)

The exclusive rights group should be pretty straightforward. The team has the right to tender these players a one-year, league-minimum contract, which keeps them from negotiating with any other team. Key is a first-team All-Pro special teamer, Tillman is a regular in the OLB rotation, Badie was Denver’s third-down back and Jackson didn’t play a ton but only because of Denver’s terrific defensive line depth. They are all easy tender decisions. That doesn’t guarantee Badie will make the 2026 roster, but an initial tender makes sense.

Who are in-house candidates for contract extensions and restructures or potential cap casualties?

CB Ja’Quan McMillian

McMillian is a restricted free agent, so the Broncos could plop a prime tender on him — he’d be a guarantee for either the first or second-round tender and a bargain at either salary number, both of which will be below $8 million — but say the Broncos put a second-round tender on him. Another team might be willing to give up that pick to sign McMillian long-term. In that case, that other team is doing the Broncos’ negotiating for them and they’d have to match to keep McMillian.

Or, the sides could work out a long-term extension. McMillian, an undrafted free agent in 2022, has played his way to being among the best slot men in the game.

General manager George Paton wouldn’t say what Denver’s exact plan with McMillian is this offseason, but on Tuesday raved about his growth.

Really, the only complicating factor with McMillian has nothing to do with him. Denver drafted Jahdae Barron in the first round in April and also has depth outside behind Pat Surtain II in Riley Moss and Kris Abrams-Draine.

Moss is entering the final year of his rookie contract this fall, while Abrams-Draine has two years left on his.

One thing is certain: Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph considers McMillian an indispensable part of Denver’s defensive success over the past two years.

Veteran OL pair

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey and left guard Ben Powers were among the first free agents signed after Payton was hired in 2023. Both are still playing at a high level. They also currently account for the highest and third-highest 2026 cap numbers on the roster, respectively, and neither has guaranteed money left on his deal. That makes them prime candidates to have their contracts touched in some way, whether it be an extension, reworking or cut.

The Broncos have restructured both deals in the past, ahead of the 2024 season, when they swallowed $53 million of Russell Wilson’s dead money, and weren’t bit by it because both have remained high-quality players.

McGlinchey played maybe the best football of his career. Powers missed two months with a torn bicep but returned down the stretch.

What����ap interesting is that Alex Palczewski could factor in with either. He was McGlinchey’s backup, but then jumped into the lineup when Powers got hurt and played well.

McGlinchey carries a $23.78 million cap number for 2026 and Powers is at $18.16 million.

Powers is a more likely cut candidate than McGlinchey in part because he’d save $8.38 million against the cap and incur $9.78 million in dead cap, a more balanced proposition than McGlinchey ($8.45 million saved, $15.33 million dead).

Both, though, have been considered key pieces to one of Denver’s best units.

Either could be a candidate for a short extension or perhaps a deal where some guarantees are installed in exchange for cap flexibility.

S Brandon Jones

The safety has been a steal since arriving on a three-year, $20 million deal ahead of the 2024 season. His 2025 was cut short by a pectoral injury that required surgery and now he heads into the final year of his contract with a $9.2 million cap hit and no guaranteed money.

Jones will be 28 when training camp starts and should have a lot of good football in front of him. An extension makes sense this offseason if the Broncos think they can fit it into their longer-range planning.

Expiring rookie contracts

A couple of key ones here in Moss ($3.85 million cap hit) and wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. ($6.01 million). They’re each relatively modest cap numbers and Denver may well let both play out the 2026 season — or revisit on the bye week next year, as the club just did with Wattenberg in November. Still, they’re interesting players generally speaking and also contractually.

Underwhelming free agent signings

It would be going too far to call either tight end Evan Engram or inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw a bust, but neither veteran 2025 free agent signing had a big year in his first with the Broncos.

Engram had 40 catches and played just 42% of snaps. He’d never been under 67% play time in eight previous NFL seasons. Greenlaw dealt with multiple injuries from April through December, collected 43 tackles in eight games and acknowledged after the season that the transition to Denver from San Francisco was “tough.”

Each could well be back next year. Cutting Greenlaw would save $6.02 million on the cap and incur $4.33 million dead.

Engram is a steeper consideration. The Broncos could save $3.8 million but would incur $10.33 million dead. If they cut him and applied a post-June 1 designation, they could spread the hit out over two years, save $6.47 million on the 2026 cap and take $7.67 million of the dead cap hit in 2026.

How does the Broncos’ draft outlook shape up?

Denver could’ve certainly used Devaughn Vele in the AFC title game. But as they head into April, their preseason trade of Vele to New Orleans looks quite pretty. The Broncos picked up a key extra fourth-round pick in that trade, and now have significant capital for draft season. Here’s a current rundown of their expected picks:

1st round, pick No. 30

2nd round, pick No. 62

3rd round, pick No. 94

4th round, pick No. 108 (from Saints)

4th round, pick No. 130

5th round, pick No. 168

7th round, pick No. 246

The Broncos could also gain a couple more late-round comp picks for losing RB Javonte Williams and punter Riley Dixon in last year’s free agency.

“We have five picks in the first four rounds, and we could get two compensatory, which would give us nine,” general manager George Paton said Tuesday. “I always talk about flexibility. We’re going to have all sorts of flexibility.”

Where will they apply that flexibility? There’s a world of draft season left to unfold, but one thing is clear: this is a receiver-heavy draft class. NFL’s Daniel Jeremiah ranked 11 wideouts in his and the Broncos clearly need some pass-catching help. They could also look to bolster the interior defensive line (with Franklin-Myers’ expected departure), the offensive line (with some expensive veterans in Garett Bolles, Mike McGlinchey and Ben Powers) and the linebacker room.

What are the Broncos’ staff needs, and expected changes?

Sean Payton appears to have a changing of the guard brewing in his offensive meeting room.

Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi: Fired. Senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael: Off to Buffalo to be offensive coordinator there.

Let����ap take the offensive room first.

It����ap also probably worth pointing out that Payton brought former passing game coordinator John Morton back to consult for Denver’s playoff run after he was fired as Detroit����ap offensive coordinator.

Payton, regardless of how those top spots in the offensive meeting room shake out, will have different and likely younger voices around him.

On the defensive side, the Broncos appear poised to get coordinator Vance Joseph back. There surprisingly has been no landing spot for him among the 10 head coaching vacancies and the final two still open look ticketed elsewhere.

It wasn’t.

Instead, the offseason arrives in bitter fashion.

Here are 7 thoughts on Denver’s final game of the 2025 season.

1. The Broncos could not have asked for a better start to Jarrett Stidham’s first start in two years, and that means this one will sting even more.

The gut reaction was to doubt.

The football world wondered.

Sean Payton, a week ago, said, “Just watch.”

He expressed steadfast confidence in his backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham, for a week after his starter, Bo Nix, fractured a bone in his right ankle last weekend against Buffalo.

That confidence was about Stidham and about the rest of the Broncos’ ability to navigate a game — two, Payton figured — without Nix.

And, boy, did Denver have a golden opportunity to do just that.

Everything Payton could have asked for, the Broncos delivered early in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

The defense came out humming.

Stidham hit Marvin Mims Jr. for 52 yards on Denver’s second drive to help settle the nerves, then Courtland Sutton for a 6-yard touchdown on a beauty of a bootleg to the right.

The Broncos punted on their third drive, but dominated the field position game early. They started their first four drives at an average of their own 35.5. New England’s first four drive averaged their own 19.

When Stidham and the Broncos started moving the ball on Drive No. 4, it felt like everything was falling into place perfectly.

He hit tight end Evan Engram for the opening first down of the drive. Then Lil’Jordan Humphrey on a well-timed out-breaker to convert a third-and-3.

In all, the Broncos ran 10 plays. None of them went for more than 7 yards, but, critically, they all resulted in positive progress.

Denver looked poised to go 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-snow all the way to the Super Bowl.

Payton, too, in those first 20 or so minutes, called a terrific game. He got Stidham in enough of a rhythm and kept him enough out of harm’s way.

Stidham flirted with negative plays a couple of times early, but overall, he did what he needed to do.

Then, he came up a football short of a first down on a third-and-6 scramble and everything changed.

Payton decided to keep his offense on the field and go for it rather than kick a 31-yard field goal attempt that, given the still-docile weather, was a gimme for Wil Lutz.

A 10-point lead was good, Payton figured, but he felt like Denver had momentum and that 14 might be insurmountable.

Of course, that all backfired. Payton had a “nickel run” called, he said after the game, but then he called a timeout. He called a boot to the right instead, but the Patriots got immediate pressure, RJ Harvey had no space in the flat and Denver turned it over on downs.

The Broncos did not score again, and Stidham was not the same the rest of the way.

Before the fourth-and-1 play, Stidham was 7-of-11 for 79 yards and a touchdown. After, he went 10-of-20 for 54 yards and an interception.

“I know this. I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself,” Payton said of Stidham’s day and his offense’s outing in general.

Stidham’s big mistake came on Denver’s next offensive drive, but the Broncos shouldn’t have been working with that slim a margin in the first place.

If you’d have told Payton before the game that Stidham would throw an early touchdown and that his defense would allow 206 total yards, 12 first downs and go 10 of 12 drives, giving up one or zero first downs, he’d have asked which hotel the Broncos were staying at for Super Bowl week.

From the moment Payton found out Nix broke his ankle and was done for the season, he authored a masterclass in leadership that ran one week, one quarter and change. It put the Broncos in prime position to do what most around the league figured they couldn’t: Win an AFC title without their quarterback.

That it fell apart — and that he didn’t take a different course ahead of the snow that arrived during halftime when Denver was in advantageous position — won’t quite stack up to his worst lightning bolt postseason heartbreaks like the Minneapolis Miracle and the no-call pass interference. But it will certainly cause some restless nights over the coming days and weeks.

“There are always regrets,” he said. “I mean,  look, I felt like here we are, fourth-and-1. We felt it was close enough that — and it is also a call you make based on the team you’re playing and what you’re watching on the other side of the ball. There will always be second thoughts.”

That call will lead the pack from this game, but more broadly, the overall inability to capitalize when, considering the week Denver had in the wake of Nix’s injury, the opening stanza of the game went so perfectly is going to hurt.

2. Just that fast, the offseason arrives and the Broncos have a clear need — which Payton alluded to after the game.

Payton and general manager George Paton have been bullish on Denver’s receiving group for two years. They love running back RJ Harvey’s potential and the rookie showed more flashes Sunday in a physical game.

Overall, though, Denver lacks juice among its offensive playmakers.

“There were a number of things that we just had to do better,” Payton said Sunday. “We didn’t finish some runs and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.”

Evan Engram had the best season for a Broncos tight end in years and it was still underwhelming at 40 catches and 461 yards. The rest of Denver’s tight ends combined for 258 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Troy Franklin’s season stat line — 65 catches for 706 yards and six TDs — will say Year 2 breakout, but it����ap fair to wonder if he is a true No. 2 receiver at this point or if Courtland Sutton is a true No. 1.

Harvey is not a finished product by any stretch and Denver just didn’t get a ton of production from the other backs besides J.K. Dobbins on the roster.

The Broncos need to likely add at all three positions this offseason but they need a top-flight receiver and a difference-making tight end, perhaps more than any other element on what is a deep and solid returning roster.

Look at the barnburner of an NFC Championship Game in Seattle that followed Sunday’s tilt in Denver. The Los Angeles Rams rolled out Puka Nacua and Davante Adams at receiver, three quality tight ends and running back Kyren Williams. Seattle plays Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp at receiver and, when healthy, a dynamic running back duo in Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet.

Denver has to find more explosiveness in those positions, but likely will have to do so without breaking the bank. First, there may not be true top-flight talent to hit the free agent market other than perhaps Kyle Pitts, the tantalizing 25-year-old tight end who finally put together a big year in Atlanta in his contract season.

Plus, Denver will be drafting at No. 30. The Broncos will have to find talent without the benefit of a high draft pick and they have other areas they could address early in the draft, too.

3. One potential in-house solution to the issue: The guy who seems to make plays every time he gets an opportunity.

If the Broncos’ offensive coaching staff makes one vow when it turns its attention to the 2026 season over the coming weeks, how about this: Play Marvin Mims Jr. more than half of offensive snaps and see what happens.

Mims got more opportunities in the postseason because of injuries to Franklin and rookie Pat Bryant and he made the most of them.

STIDHAM GOING DEEP TO MARVIN MIMS JR.

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The third-year man had 37 catches (51 targets) for 377 yards and a touchdown in the regular season and then 12 catches (14 targets) for 155 yards and a touchdown in a pair of playoff games. He also drew the game-clinching, 30-yard pass interference penalty against Buffalo.

Sunday, he made Denver’s biggest offensive play when he ran past star cornerback Christian Gonzalez for a 52-yard gain. He might have made another big play in the first half had Stidham not zinged a well-set-up screen too wide for him in the right flat.

More broadly, Mims seems to find a way to make plays every time he gets a chance. He just doesn’t get a ton of chances.

Payton and Paton traded up for him late in the second round and made him the first draft pick of Payton’s tenure here.

In Mims’ first three seasons, though, he’s not seen more than 52 targets or played more than 34% of the Broncos’ offensive snaps.

Now he heads into the final year of his rookie deal at a crossroads. Is he a punt return specialist capable of making a big play here and there in the passing game? Or is he, despite being relatively small, a guy who can be a real, explosive, foundational piece of an offense into the future with Nix?

If this postseason was any indication, the Broncos should at least get him involved enough in 2026 to find out.

4. While we’re transitioning to offseason mode, it will be interesting to see just how much continuity the Broncos end up with defensively

The single biggest piece of that puzzle, of course, is Joseph and whether he lands a head coaching job. Either way, a strong core is set to return for the Broncos.

Perhaps the biggest player question is if Denver gets a long-term deal done with nickel Ja’Quan McMillian. He’s turned himself into one of the very best in the business and he’s just a restricted free agent, so Denver has control of his rights.

What a play in OT by Ja'Quan McMillian

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Will the Broncos bother putting a second or even a first-round tender on him? Remember, teams can put those tenders on RFAs and it gives them the right of first refusal to match any deal another team offers the player, plus a draft pick equal to the tender. So the Broncos can protect McMillian with a high-round tender. That will also mean giving him a one-year deal with a decent cap number — at $7.83 million and $5.66 million, respectively. Denver could sign McMillian to a top-of-the-market long-term deal for a slot man and do better than that as it pertains to cap hits.

But, also, the Broncos just drafted Jahdae Barron in April and he didn’t play much because of McMillian. So, where does it go from here? Does Barron move outside and compete with Moss? Do the Broncos entertain trading McMillian, who is exactly the kind of player they’ve sought out over the past three years?

Other curiosities: What happens at inside linebacker and if the plan is as straightforward as it looks on the defensive line?

Start at linebacker. The Broncos signed Dre Greenlaw to a three-year deal in March because they felt like they needed to upgrade over Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad.

Greenlaw showed playmaking ability but also struggled to stay on the field, first with recurring quad injuries and then later in the season with a hamstring. He provided forceful play in run support but was not the coverage asset he made himself earlier in his career. Then again, Joseph didn’t put Greenlaw in a ton of passing situations because of the rate at which the Broncos deployed their nickel and dime packages, combined with wanting Singleton on the field at all times.

Greenlaw’s contract was structured as essentially a one-year deal, a move that felt prudent at the time and has aged well given the ‘backer’s durability issues. Denver can save $6 million on its 2026 cap while incurring about $4.3 million in dead cap charges by releasing Greenlaw, or it can retain him at a $10.4 million cap charge for 2026 the season.

Singleton and Strnad are each impending free agents and each could well command solid starting money. Will Denver be willing to give the 32-year-old Singleton, say, three years and $30 million to keep him from testing the market? Strnad could be in a similar range, given the year he had and that he’s three years younger than Singleton.

The Broncos don’t have surefire replacements in younger players, but they have seen promising signs from undrafted rookie Jordan Turner, got a solid camp from Levelle Bailey and have what amounts to a lottery ticket in the oft-injured Drew Sanders. A lot to sort through for the Broncos and their staff. If Joseph gets a head coaching job, he may well want Singleton — whom he’s been highly complimentary of throughout his time in Denver — or Strnad to come with him to help put together his next unit, too.

On the defensive line, Franklin-Myers is ticketed for free agency and should command a lucrative deal after a 7.5-sack season. One executive told The Post it wouldn’t surprise if Franklin-Myers’ market started at $15 million per year and potentially pushed up from there. Some believe he’ll be the best pass-rushing defensive lineman available in free agency.

Last year this time, it looked like D.J. Jones would hit the market, too, but the Broncos decided at the last minute to pony up and keep him. Not as likely this year with Franklin-Myers, but nothing is certain until March.

Denver looks poised to give his snaps to Eyioma Uwazurike and potentially Sai’Vion Jones.

All the same, put both defensive line and inside linebacker on the list of positions the Broncos could address with their first pick in the draft.

5. The coaching carousel is about to start spinning again and Denver’s staff figures to continue being popular

Now that the Broncos are eliminated, their coaches can not only conduct in-person, second-round interviews with any team that still has an opening, but they can also interview with teams whose openings didn’t come up until after the wild-card weekend — Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

The biggest names to watch on the head coaching front are defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb. Four teams still have coaching openings in Las Vegas, Arizona, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Joseph worked for Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill for four years as defensive coordinator from 2019-22. Webb is seen nationally as a strong candidate for the Raiders job and has described Bills quarterback Josh Allen as “my best friend.” He spent three years in Buffalo as Allen’s backup and said it����ap his favorite place he ever played.

Webb just turned 31 this week, but his star is rising fast.

“I think he’s going to be a really good head coach and I think a really smart organization would hire him,” Broncos quarterback Sam Ehlinger told The Post recently.

Webb has impressed Ehlinger all season and was a big part of the reason Ehlinger turned down a chance at returning to Indianapolis after Daniel Jones’ injury there.

He said this week was just another example of Webb’s teaching prowess when Stidham was thrust into the starting role for the AFC title game.

“Davis has stayed the same throughout the season,” Ehlinger said. “He coaches us all individually throughout the season. So nothing really changes. He’s always asking whoever it is. If you sat in the QB room with us, you would never know who the starter is. He’s always asking questions to other guys and making sure other guys are prepared as well.”

Joseph finished his third season as the Broncos’ defensive coordinator with a flourish and should have suitors, though the pool is shrinking quickly.

Does he think the Cardinals are a good fit for him, given an overall poor roster and an unclear path forward at quarterback with Kyler Murray a candidate to be traded this offseason? Does Buffalo have interest after firing a defensive-minded head coach in Sean McDermott? Who wants the Browns’ job?

The answers to those questions should start coming relatively quickly now that Denver is out.

Meanwhile, the coordinator landscape has changed quite a bit for hopefuls like Denver secondary coach Jim Leonhard in recent days. On Sunday alone, Green Bay and the New York Giants filled their defensive coordinator spots. Those two seemed like natural candidates for Leonhard because he grew up in Wisconsin — and turned down the Packers defensive coordinator job in 2021 — and because he played for new Giants coach John Harbaugh in 2008. Leonhard also interviewed in Dallas but the Cowboys hired former Broncos secondary coach Christian Parker.

The New York Jets are still in the market, as could be the Broncos if Joseph gets a job. There are likely other possibilities as well. Plus, Denver has other young assistants who could be in line for promotions or jobs elsewhere over the next couple of weeks, including offensive quality control coach Logan Kilgore, outside linebackers coach Isaac Shewmaker, cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch, running backs coach Lou Ayeni and more.

6. Another item on the Broncos’ offseason to-do list: Extend general manager George Paton

Pretty simple here. Paton signed a six-year contract when he was first hired in 2021, meaning the 2026 season would be the last on his original deal.

After early failures like trading for and extending quarterback Russell Wilson and hiring Nathaniel Hackett, Paton has not only steadied the ship, but he’s made a terrific pair with Payton and has turned the Broncos’ roster from light on talent to one of the deepest in football.

“I’d heard so many good things about him prior to meeting him and then when I met him that day we interviewed, I found him to be just like what everyone had described,” Payton said of Paton earlier this month. “I can’t speak for him, but I really enjoy working with him. We both are passionate about the same things. I think he likes that I love scouting, and I like that he comes from a coach’s family. … We come from a lot of similar backgrounds. I enjoy him and you have to because you spend so much time together, but it����ap probably one of the more undervalued aspects.

“Find me the head coach and GM tied at the hip, and then you have a chance. I feel like he and I have an extremely close relationship, trust, but also we see things in a similar fashion.”

����apEO and owner Greg Penner has repeatedly expressed confidence in Paton and, considering the club appears to have a long-term solution at quarterback and is coming off an AFC title game appearance, there shouldn’t be much to consider here.

Payton’s through three seasons on a five-year deal, so perhaps the only call to make is if Penner wants to extend them in tandem or tackle Paton this offseason and Payton a year from now.

Regardless, Denver looks like it����ap in position to have stability atop its football operation for years to come.

7a. A couple of more game-specific items to close this thing out

Denver engineered a touchdown on its second offensive possession of the game thanks to a 52-yard completion from Stidham to Mims Jr. After that, though, Stidham and the Broncos offense could not find any kind of rhythm. They came up empty on 10 straight possessions after the touchdown, including five punts, a turnover on downs, two missed field goals just before halftime and a Stidham interception in the fourth quarter. Most critical was Stidham’s fumble in the second quarter that set the Patriots up at Denver’s 12-yard line. Patriots quarterback Drake Maye finished that drive off with a 6-yard touchdown run. That sequence was part of the reason the Broncos allowed just 72 yards and four first downs in the first half and yet found themselves tied at 7 going into intermission.

7b. Payton lamented after the game that his team didn’t run the football better.

“I was frustrated,” he said. “I felt like we’d be able to run the ball more consistently. I thought that was going to be important. We felt like we had one of our better run plans going in.”

Instead, New England stymied Denver’s ground game from the start. The Broncos ran 24 times for just 79 yards and did not have a rushing play go for more than 9. They averaged 3.3 per carry for the game and 3.0 over two postseason games. Those marks sting all the more considering they may well have had Dobbins back in uniform for the Super Bowl had they survived Sunday. Denver got just 93 postseason rushing yards from its running back trio of Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie. Against New England, the team generated just two first downs on the ground. When the snow fell, the Broncos had little in the way of security on the ground.

Before Dobbins got hurt, Denver averaged 133.6 rushing yards per game and 4.9 per carry. Afterward, 96.5 and 3.7.

Again, it����ap a position the Broncos will need to look at once again over the next couple of months.

7c. New England quarterback Drake Maye didn’t have a prolific outing passing, but he changed the game for the Patriots time and time again with his legs.

Maye ran seven times for 68 yards and a touchdown and almost every one of his carries did damage. The second-year Patriots quarterback generated either a touchdown or a first down on each of his first five carries of the game and six of seven overall.

First came a touchdown on a 6-yard quarterback draw. Then Maye picked up a third-and-15, a third-and-9 and a fourth-and-1, all with his legs.

He saved his best for last, beating Jonah Elliss to the edge on a game-deciding naked bootleg with less than two minutes to go. The No. 3 overall pick of the 2024 draft put together an MVP-caliber regular season by leading the NFL in completion percentage and throwing for 4,394 yards, 31 touchdowns and just eight interceptions, but his ability to run the ball was an underrated element the entire time.

He had 450 yards and four touchdowns in the regular season and sent the Patriots to the Super Bowl with his legs, too.

7d. Thanks for reading this year.

We’ll have you covered from the locker room cleanout Monday, through the coaching carousel, the NFL Scouting Combine in February, to free agency in March, the draft in April and around the dial again when OTAs begin in May.

It����ap been a heck of a season for this Broncos team and it����ap been a privilege to bring you stories from a fascinating group. Let����ap do it again.

The AFC Championship Game trophy was returning to Denver. The coach’s Hall of Fame resume had a LinkedIn update that no one could refute.

Then Sean Payton tried to put his hands on the Patriots’ throat, and he got grabbed by ghosts. On fourth-and-1 in the second quarter, he went to Jarrett. And just like that, there is no Disney ending, no Super Bowl, no ring.

It wasn’t over then. But it’s over now.

Patriots 10, Broncos 7.

The coach has to wear this.

����apountry, which flung its support and social media avatars behind Jarrett Stidham, must wait another year for Denver to return to its throne atop the NFL.

Keeler: If Bo Nix plays in AFC Championship, Broncos don’t just beat Patriots — they destroy them

This opportunity, the first in a decade, died on a refrigerated Sunday, the charmed life in a snow globe melting away one win shy of Payton's preseason prediction of reaching the sport's biggest game.

The Broncos coach had the Patriots vulnerable and held a personal second Super Bowl berth in his hands. Denver stood over the ball at the 14-yard line with 9:28 left in the half. One lousy yard stood between the Broncos and the continuation of a drive that offered a knockout punch.

Payton could not help himself. He had an automatic three points on a 32-yard field goal — Wil Lutz was 11-for-11 on kicks between 30 and 39 yards this season, and the weather was not a factor at this point. Or an opportunity at a bigger jackpot.

He called a timeout. And decided to put the ball in Stidham's right hand, overriding his original run call.

It backfired.

Stidham sprinted to his right. Left guard Ben Powers and center Luke Wattenberg executed a duo block. That allowed defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy to race for Stidham just as Milton Williams ran free on the right side. Stidham fired a panicked dart at RJ Harvey's feet for an incompletion.

Goodbye momentum. The game, unbeknownst to all but 200 no-shows who used their tickets, was over. Not instantly. But eventually. And painfully.

Broncos’ season lost in whiteout one game short of Super Bowl: ‘It’s going to hurt for a long time’

"It was a slip or naked (bootleg) that we have run pretty well. They played a 6-1 front with a two-deep shell. Hindsight, the initial run thought was a better decision," Payton said. "There's always regrets. Look, I felt like here we are fourth-and-1. I felt close enough. Also, it's a call you make based on the team you are playing and what you are watching on the other side of the ball. But, there will always be second thoughts."

Payton addressed the decision multiple times and offered, "Obviously, disappointment. It starts with the head coach."

That was the best call he made Sunday. After another postseason loss that drips Ragu on a career resume worthy of Canton, Payton's accountability was admirable.

But it does not change the fact that he tapped the table behind his cards with an 18 and the blackjack dealer flipped a king.

"I think, you live and die by who you are. And you’ve made those calls all year," tight end Evan Engram said. "So, today, we died by it.”

This call will take Payton to a dark place when he rewatches the game. Had the Broncos opted for the field goal, left the Patriots' sputtering offense chasing, it is almost impossible to not see Denver winning.

Full transparency, I liked Payton's aggression, but hated the play selection. It was too slow to develop with limited escape options. The Broncos talked all week about how they would not lose because of Stidham. It was up to the rest of the team to do its job.

So, why put Stidham in that position? Remember, the Broncos had converted only 10 of 20 fourth downs during the season, ranking in the NFL's bottom third.

Again, why do it?

The defense is the simple answer.

The problem is that it offered an argument for both scenarios.

The popular thought, based on my flooded email box, was that he should have taken the points. A two-score lead would have felt larger given how Patriots quarterback Drake Maye was playing. He finished with five sacks and made passing a kidney stone look easier than passing the football (10 for 21, 86 yards).

The aggressive thinking, one adopted by Payton, envisioned a 14-0 cushion as the equivalent of Steve Austin's "Stone Cold" finisher. Given the final score, Payton’s gut was right.

But the failure to convert changed everything.

The Broncos became climbers who looked down. The reality of the challenge — beating the Patriots without fourth-quarter magician Bo Nix and starting running back J.K. Dobbins — clobbered them over the head.

The Broncos posted four first downs after the fourth-down play. They had 32 yards of offense in the second half.

"You can play the what-if game all day," said receiver Courtland Sutton, who had three catches for 17 yards. "There were certain things that may not have connected the way we needed them to."

The headline, including this one, will punish Payton for going for the bold. He is paid to weigh risk versus reward, and must live with the consequences of his decision.

It goes back to Payton's DNA. How he is wired. The Broncos don't sniff this game without his bravado, belief, and culture. But those same traits make Payton think he is smarter than everyone else.

When he reaches the top — this season ranks as his second-best coaching job behind winning Super Bowl XLIV with the Saints — there is no feeling like it. The falls, though, are brutal, unforgettable.

And this one felt inevitable after the fourth down failure.

Right tackle Mike McGlinchey called BS on anyone blaming Stidham. But, Stidham expected more than five completions for 10 yards after halftime. And more than seven points when reaching the Patriots' 39-yard line four times.

The Broncos needed Stidham to hold his own. He did, save for a controversial mistake that cost the Broncos seven points.

With Denver white-knuckling a 7-0 lead, Elijah Ponder recovered Stidham's backward pass at the 12-yard line, setting up a Maye rushing touchdown.

"I thought I threw it forward and obviously the replay said differently," said Stidham, who completed 17 of 33 passes for 131 yards. "Probably should have just eaten the sack ... and flipped the field."

Payton admitted it was a turning point. Then there was the interception on a pass intended for Marvin Mims Jr. with 2:18 remaining on the same play that produced a 52-yard gain in the first quarter.

But this game was not on Stidham. Or conditions more suited for the Iditarod. Or the multiple drops.

This was on the coach, who swung for the home run and struck out.

Tell me with a straight face that Nix fumbles the ball away in a panic, to set up the Patriots’ only TD of the day.

Tell me with a palm on The Good Book — doesn’t amount to points.

Tell me with hand over heart that the Broncos’ final drive of the first half, before Mother Nature took over the game, gets more out of a third-and-4 at the Patriots’ 34 than Stidham scampering out of bounds for a 2-yard self-sack.

By my math, if Nix plays, it’s 13-0 Broncos at the break. Maybe more. Probably more.

Then the third quarter comes, that insane squall rolls in, and Drake Maye spends the second half throwing into the teeth of a Front Range blizzard.

“That’s, again, a ‘what-if,'” Broncos punter Jeremy Crawshaw told me after Denver’s incredible season ended with a 10-7 loss to the Pats, and Maye, in a chilly AFC Championship Game. “But we all had full trust in Stiddy to do the job today. And we wouldn’t have anybody else do that.”

No knock on Stiddy, either. His 52-yard pass to Marvin Mims Jr. on the Broncos’ second drive was an absolute beauty. When it comes to pure deep shots, No. 8 might be the best option coach Sean Payton has in the QB room.

But when it comes to everything else, it’s advantage: Nix — a fact underscored once that winter hellscape rolled into Empower Field. It was always going to be a big ask of Stiddy to knock out the AFC’s No. 2 seed on short notice. But asking him to beat the snow, too, proved to be one ice-covered bridge too far.

“(The Broncos) will probably say it was all about what they didn’t do,” Pats left tackle Will Campbell told reporters after the game. “But our defense has been underrated all season.”

True, but that defense also had a little help. Injuries are a loser’s excuse, granted, yet the Broncos closed out a 15-4 campaign with some absolute doozies.

No Nix. No J.K. Dobbins. No Troy Franklin. No Brandon Jones. Denver faced New England without its QB1. Without its leading rusher during the regular season. Without its No. 2 wideout in terms of catches. When the football gods finally came for Payton, they didn’t miss.

Although Payton has no one to blame for Sunday but himself, in retrospect. That aforementioned fourth-and-1 at the 14, with the Broncos up 7-0? Saints alive. It’s one thing to have to draw up a winning game plan with Stidham in eight days. It’s another to try and get cute in the middle of a back-alley brawl.

““It just felt like we had momentum to get up 14. It felt like we had a good call,” the coach explained later.

Was it, though? Stidham is 6-foot-3. If you don’t trust him to wiggle forward 6 inches for a first down at your opponent’s doorstep, you probably deserve to lose some of the trust from your fan base.

From the fourth-down stop to Stidham’s backyard-pass fumble, the Broncos’ deepest wounds Sunday were self-inflicted. That fourth drive is going to sting for a while. You have to strike while the Stiddy is hot. Sure, the Broncos’ run game had slowed down once they’d crossed the Patriots’ 40. But they’d run it five consecutive plays with three different rushers — tailback RJ Harvey, fullback Adam Prentice and Stidham — for 21 yards to the Pats’ 14. Why give up the ghost?

Stiddy was admirable in a pinch, especially as the conditions worsened. But this was a game you should’ve led 10-0 or 13-0 and spent the second half handing off.

“I think the big thing was that first half, that first half momentum and field position didn’t yield what it needed to yield,” Payton said later. “We needed more than that, and (our reflections) start there.”

It was awfully hard to see much upside through all that snow. But if there was, it’s that this feels like the next phase in the Broncos’ revival under Nix and Payton — not the end.

Denver went into Week 1 with the eighth-fewest number of players among NFL rosters who were aged 29 or older. Nix is 25 and on a rookie contract through 2027. CB Pat Surtain II, RT Mike McGlinchey, DL Zach Allen, WR Courtland Sutton, LT Garett Bolles, OLB Jonathon Cooper, OLB Nik Bonitto, S Talanoa Hufanga, DB Jahdae Barron, DL D.J. Jones, LB Dre Greenlaw, G Quinn Meinerz, DL Malcolm Roach, Harvey, Crawhsaw, and K Wil Lutz are all signed through the end of the 2027 season. The window is still wide open here. Even if it’s freezing outside.

“As a young team, it’s only up from here,” cornerback Riley Moss told me. “Every guy’s confidence is up. Every guy’s goals are higher. And so, yes, it (stinks) to lose, but if there is probably a positive that would come from it, (it’s that) we were in this game. We know what the standard is now. And we know what to expect.”

We expect to see Nix vs. Maye in the postseason again — and in a fair fight, hopefully. If No. 10 plays on Sunday, the Broncos are planning for Santa Clara right now. There’s snow doubt.

Garett Bolles, still in uniform, embraced longtime equipment manager ‘Flip’ Valenti and looked for a moment like he might just keep hanging on.

The two longest-tenured Broncos players have seen seasons end in the Empower Field locker room before, but not like this.

Not one game from the Super Bowl.

Not four points shy.

Not so close they could almost feel the trip to California and the chance at a world championship.

“This one definitely carries some weight,” Sutton said.

There is a mural in the team’s locker room with a dramatic mountain scape and the two words: Head West.

The Broncos will not.

They instead head into the offseason after getting knocked out, 10-7, by a stingy New England Patriots group and a second-half snowstorm that scuttled game plans, stopped offensive progress and magnified a series of first-half Denver mistakes that will leave head coach Sean Payton and company wondering what might have been for quite a while.

“We weren’t able to get it done and it����ap tough, especially in this game,” Sean Payton said, pausing momentarily with the blunt force of finality. “Especially in this game.”

In many ways, this game looked like so many the Broncos played this season.

Vance Joseph’s defense dominated, holding New England to one or zero first downs on 10 of its 12 full possessions and giving up a total of three points on the visitors’ two sustained drives.

They harassed quarterback Drake Maye, sacked him five times on 26 drop-backs and looked at times impenetrable.

The only touchdown they gave up came after a Jarrett Stidham fumble left the Patriots with just 12 yards to cover.

“Obviously, I can’t put our team in a bad position like that,” said Stidham, who threw for 133 yards, an early go-ahead touchdown to Courtland Sutton and a late interception to Patriots star corner Christian Gonzalez in his first start in more than two years.

In others, the final afternoon at Empower Field felt foreign. Sudden snow in the midst of this state’s most mild winter in recent history. The absence of quarterback Bo Nix, who authored so much magic and engineered so many game-defining drives before fracturing his ankle last week against Buffalo. The team that had won 12 straight one-score games this year, finding itself in the most familiar of hand-to-hand tussles, only to finally suffer the knockout blow rather than deliver it.

“It sucks,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton said. “I mean, that����ap it. Those are the only words for it. It����ap really miserable and it����ap going to hurt for a long time.”

Mother Nature threw a white blanket on each team’s offense in the second half, a clear and cold morning turned clipper snowstorm of an afternoon in the span — literally — of a 13-minute halftime break.

Neither team could move the ball much once the snow picked up.

Neither team could reliably kick the ball through the uprights, either. New England kicker Andres Borregales missed attempts from 63 just before the half and 46 in the third quarter, though he also managed to pop home a 23-yarder that stood as the final margin.

Broncos kicker Wil Lutz missed from 54 before the half and then, critically, a game-tying attempt from 46 with 2:13 remaining and Denver trailing 10-7.

The snow impacted that kick, too, not in Lutz’s ability to convert from that distance but the operation itself.

Lutz said afterward he thought he and punter Jeremy Crawshaw may have marked their spot to kick from incorrectly.

“You couldn’t see the lines on the field and honestly we might have been a yard short on the snap,” Lutz said. … “We had to kind of estimate.”

Practice squad defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III generated enough pressure to get a hand up and deflect the ball and Denver’s Super Bowl hopes onto a wayward trajectory.

In the end, Sunday’s loss started to percolate when the Broncos failed to do what they’d done so well for most of 19 games before. They missed chances to take advantage.

Over and over and over.

Leading 7-0 and facing fourth-and-1 from the New England 14-yard line, Payton kept his offense on the field rather than attempt a short field goal in the still docile weather. The play blew up immediately and Denver walked away with nothing.

The Broncos in total pushed the ball to the Patriots’ 36-yard line or deeper four times and came away with just seven points.

Payton thought the Broncos had momentum and field position advantages throughout the first half, but “we didn’t come away with enough,” he said.

Indeed, instead of a potential two-score lead, the Broncos led just 7-0 in the second quarter when Stidham made his biggest mistake of the game. Pressured on a manageable third-and-4, he retreated 20 yards then fumbled when he threw the ball backward in a last-ditch attempt to avoid a sack.

Two plays later: Tie game.

Denver’s offense failed to score on its final 10 possessions and generated just 32 yards and one first down after halftime.

All of that, frustratingly, with the two offensive players best equipped to make plays in this kind of weather — Nix and running back J.K. Dobbins — sidelined by injury.

This loss will sting the Broncos for days, weeks and months to come. The club has been back to the playoffs the past two seasons under Payton and should be competitive for years to come, but opportunities like this one — bolstered by home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and Hall of Fame-type quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow watching from home — do not come around often.

As the end of the season sinks in, so, too, will the what-ifs. What if Nix had not fractured his ankle? What if Payton had taken the three points? What if a fourth-and-1 sneak by Maye had been ruled short on the field during the Patriots’ go-ahead, third-quarter drive? What if Dobbins had made it back one week sooner? What if Lutz and Crawshaw could have seen the lines? What if safety Talanoa Hufanga comes up with an interception deep in Patriots territory on the first possession of the game?

“We had momentum,” Sutton said. “Scoring early was huge. If — if, we can sit here and play the ‘if’ game — if we maximize on that momentum, we’d have had them against the ropes. With the way the weather changed going into halftime, who knows what would have happened?

“I can sit here and play the ‘if’ game all day. We lost the game.”

That����ap life in this country’s most popular, parity-driven sport. That����ap life on the razor’s edge, all the sharper and all the more treacherous come late January.

Before Sunday, the Broncos had won 12 straight one-score games

They had won nine of 10 at Empower Field.

They engineered an 11-game winning streak in the middle of the season, came from behind to win over and over and looked poised to do it again Sunday with their backup quarterback.

It all looked so good until it didn’t.

It all looked like another bluebird day on the Front Range, with a ticket to the Super Bowl right there for the taking, until the wind and snow arrived and blew the Broncos into the offseason.

OFFENSE — D+

Stiddy City reached a fever pitch in the first quarter and then quickly subsided. Marvin Mims Jr. took the top off with a 52-yard bomb from Jarrett Stidham on a 3rd-and-10 in the first quarter, Courtland Sutton caught a rollout TD a couple plays later, and Empower Field set ablaze — only for Denver to quickly lose all momentum.

Broncos rookie RB RJ Harvey ran tough in the first half, as head coach Sean Payton clearly placed an emphasis on cushioning Stidham with plenty of under-center runs. But the Denver backup started to show cracks in the second quarter, suffering from happy feet against New England’s interior pressure and then inexplicably attempting a backward pass while backpedaling on a third down. The Patriots recovered and scored two plays later. Not pretty.

Broncos four downs: Sean Payton’s costly fourth-down call probably cost Denver Super Bowl trip

After that Stidham-to-Sutton connection, the Broncos mounted eight completely fruitless offensive drives, with two turnovers, two three-and-outs and six punts in the mix. Receivers couldn't find separation in the snow. Stidham didn't rear back to fire. Payton didn't stick with the run game. And a last-ditch duck by Stidham to Marvin Mims in the fourth quarter was picked off by the Patriots' Christian Gonzalez, who Mims burned earlier on that 52-yarder. Comeuppance.

DEFENSE -- A

In the penultimate game of their season, Vance Joseph's defensive line had one of their best first halves of the season. The Broncos came in well-positioned to exploit struggling rookie tackle Will Campbell, and Nik Bonitto, Jonathon Cooper and even depth edges like Que Robinson and Dondrea Tillman made life a snowy hellscape for the Patriots' edge protection. Denver had three first-half sacks, and two shot plays from Drake Maye to Kayshon Boutte fell incomplete with blanket coverage from All-Pro corner Pat Surtain II.

And in a season of goal-line stands, the Broncos' top-ranked red-zone defense stiffened again in the most crucial moment, as Cooper whizzed off a block and brought down Maye to hold New England to a field goal after a nine-minute-plus third-quarter drive.

They racked up five sacks Sunday in total, and stifled the Patriots' ground game time and time again, holding lead back Rhamondre Stevenson to 71 yards. The secondary was excellent, only fooled once by a Maye flea-flicker to Mack Hollins in the third quarter. Joseph was the absolute last reason Denver's season ended.

SPECIAL TEAMS -- B-

Nine months later, the Broncos' decision to draft a punter in the sixth round in April's draft came to ultimate fruition on Sunday.

Rookie Jeremy Crawshaw put on an utter masterclass against New England, starting his day with a 56-yarder that pinned New England at the 8-yard-line and ending it with a 45-yarder that again pinned the Patriots at their 8 in the fourth quarter. Denver controlled field position for much of the game thanks to the efforts of Crawshaw, who resoundingly outdueled New England's Bryce Baringer: six punts, an average of 51.5 yards, three inside the Patriots' 20-yard-line.

In absolutely brutal conditions that were visibly shaking the yellow goalposts at Empower Field, though, Denver kicker Wil Lutz missed a 54-yarder at the end of the first half and a 46-yarder that would've tied the game in the fourth quarter. It wasn't entirely Lutz's fault, as wind whipped monster gusts of wind around the grass at Empower Field in the second half. But Denver's special-teams play both put them in position to head to a Super Bowl Sunday -- and then squandered that chance.

COACHING -- C-

Payton came out with an impressive gameplan, a mix of opportunistic shots and a ball-control run-game to set up easy play-action looks for Jarrett Stidham. And then a single fourth-down call in the second quarter changed the complexion of Sunday's game.

Facing fourth-and-inches in the red zone, Payton could've opted to take the points and go up two possessions. Or try for a simple dive with Stidham or fullback Adam Prentice. Instead, he called for a play-action rollout for Stidham that went absolutely nowhere. Stidham's pass nearly got picked. The entire first half's momentum swung on this singular moment.

Needing to establish the run in the second half with snow making it impossible for receivers to gain any traction, Payton relied too often on a completely ineffectual screen game. And Denver looked, by the fourth quarter, like a team without any plan.

1. That fourth-and-1 call … : Hindsight makes geniuses of us all, but man, you’d hope Sean Payton would like that fourth-and-inches at the New England 14 back. With Nix behind center, up 7-0, you’d have No. 10 fall forward, deep the clock running, and give yourself four more downs to play with. Instead, Stidham rolled right and threw a short pass past RJ Harvey for an incompletion. It’s so, so frustrating to imagine what Denver might’ve been able to do with a 10-0 lead in the snow instead of 7-0, for one. For another, the Broncos had run the ball decently up to that point, having rushed it five straight times for 21 yards prior to the fourth-down stop. And then Payton got cute and somehow found a way to stop himself.

2. Special-teams blues: Mother Nature called the tune on the second half, and she had the Broncos singing the blues late. Wil Lutz missed an uncharacteristic two field goals, the first time he’s had more than a single miss in a Broncos game since that gut-wrenching 16-14 loss at Kansas City in November 2024. In all, there were four missed kicks for the ball game, two from each side. That’s the most in an AFC title game since a matchup Broncos fans would rather forget — a 10-7 loss to Buffalo at the ’91 AFC Championship in January 1992. The one Gary Kubiak had to finish for an injured John Elway at Rich Stadium.

3. Deep ball returns: As we found out the hard way on more than one occasion in the first half, there are things Bo Nix can do that Jarrett Stidham just … can’t. Especially when pressured, or when the pocket goes to holy heck in a handbasket. But Stiddy also reminded us why so many in ����apountry fell in love with him in the preseason — that smooth deep ball. That critical 52-yard rainbow to Marvin Mims in the first quarter went 41 air yards. Turns out that was the most “in-air” yards of any throw by a Broncos QB in 2025-26, regular season or postseason. If there’s one throw that Stiddy can make more comfortably and consistently than Nix, it’s a deep ball. Or medium-deep ball.

4. Enjoy snow games while we’ve got ’em: Kicks veering to Lord-knows-where? Funny bounces? Slippery footing? Snowballs? Enjoy those moments at the AFC Championship while we’ve got ’em. Playoff snow games, such as we got Sunday, could soon be a relic of the past — and not just in Denver. The Broncos, who are planning to move to a stadium with a retractable roof in 2031, told FrontOfficeSports.com earlier this month that while the team makes the call on open vs. closed during the regular season, and the wild-card and divisional rounds, the NFL commissioner makes that decision for conference title games and at the Super Bowl. Guess which way the league is more likely to lean?

Then, of course, came the Bo Nix injury revelation that quickly washed all that away.

As Denver pivots to backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham with Nix’s season-ending ankle fracture, there are plenty more areas of optimism and concern heading into next weekend’s AFC Championship. Here’s The Denver Post’s stock report from a wild win over Buffalo.

Stock up

Nik Bonitto: On Tuesday, Denver’s star pass-rusher all but shrugged off his lack of sack production down the stretch of another Pro Bowl season.

“No stress on my end, as far as stuff like that,” Bonitto told The Post.

No stress necessary, indeed. Bonitto got back in swing with a 1.5-sack effort against the Chargers in Week 18, and Denver’s game-wrecker was every bit the force of nature that the Broncos needed on Saturday. The only piece missing in the 26-year-old Bonitto’s season — besides an All-Pro nod — was consistent effort in the run game, as he’ll sometimes be neutralized by one-on-one blocks on the outside. Against Buffalo, though, Bonitto chased down Bills MVP Josh Allen for about 12 yards in the second quarter and smacked the ball away for a forced fumble.

Josh Allen rightfully will get most of the blame for this but it is also one heck of a play by Nik Bonitto. Covered a lot of ground to get to Allen and play the ball.

— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel)

In the third quarter, Bonitto got to Allen again for his second forced-fumble of the day. He’s in full playoff mode.

Malcolm Roach: Speaking of difference-making pass-rushers. Roach had one total sack across four years and 41 games at the start of his career in New Orleans; this season, the Broncos’ defensive tackle now has 5.5 across 13 games (regular season and playoffs). He’s become a legitimate force on the interior, and one that has major implications for Denver’s future.

DT Malcolm Roach has taken a massive leap as a pass-rusher this year. Has big implications for the future. Now has 5.5 sacks in 13 games (reg + post) this year.

Incredibly athletic play here to spin off his man and chase down Josh Allen in the second quarter Sat

— Luca Evans (@bylucaevans)

Roach’s development has helped keep All-Pro DT Zach Allen fresh this year and limit his reps, and Roach has shown the athleticism and pass-rush ability to play next to Allen or Eyioma Uwazurike when starting DE John Franklin-Myers leaves in free agency in 2026. Denver’s three-year, $29.25 million extension for Roach in November is looking like a steal.

Johnny Mo: Let’s lay this out. On a short week of preparation for an AFC divisional-round matchup with Buffalo, Payton brought in an outside consultant and then picked his brain for a goal-line play that involved throwing a touchdown to a second-year reserve offensive lineman.

“Nothing he does,” receiver Marvin Mims told The Post Saturday, “surprises me.”

There, of course, was a long level of trust with that consultant. John Morton is officially back in a consulting role with Denver, after serving as Payton’s passing-game coordinator from 2023 to 2024 before taking a job with the Detroit Lions (and then fired recently). This could be a soft launch to Payton’s staff in 2026, as 30-year-old Davis Webb could be headed for a coordinator or even head-coaching job elsewhere. In any case, it’s objectively hilarious that Morton would earn a Super Bowl ring if this Broncos team made it that far.

Special-teams demons: Broncos ST coordinator Darren Rizzi did not end up getting the New York Giants’ head-coaching job, an unfortunate casualty of the post-John Harbaugh coaching carousel. But Rizzi’s doing a bang-up job in Denver, with a special-teams unit that’s become lethal.

All-Pro teamer Devon Key had two monster tackles against Buffalo on Saturday, doing what he does best on kickoffs. Kicker Wil Lutz banged home four field goals, including the eventual game-winning chip-shot. And punter Jeremy Crawshaw delivered one of Saturday’s most clutch plays, with a 55-yard boot to pin Buffalo at their own 7-yard-line on their final offensive drive of overtime.

Continued excellence here will be paramount without Nix on Sunday.

Stock down

WR depth: Maybe, after all, Denver should’ve gotten a wideout at the trade deadline.

After rookie Pat Bryant went down with a concussion on the Broncos’ first drive against Buffalo and second-year WR Troy Franklin exited in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, the perpetually underutilized Marvin Mims Jr. and veteran Lil’Jordan Humphrey stepped up with massive touchdown grabs against the Bills. Even Mims, though, admitted at his locker postgame that neither his fourth-quarter score or Humphrey’s second-quarter touchdown was “the look you want.”

Bryant has now had two concussions in the span of a month. Franklin’s sudden exit with the hamstring was somewhat ominous. If Denver’s down both on Sunday, Mims will need big-time touches. The Broncos could also look to elevate veteran Elijah Moore or sign practice-squad mainstay Michael Bandy to the active 53-man roster. But they’re alarmingly thin here.

Courtland Sutton: In related news, Denver’s No. 1 WR just wasn’t good enough against the Bills, despite some moments. Sutton got going in the fourth quarter and overtime, with a 25-yard grab on a 3rd-and-11 play from Nix on the final drive of regulation. But he went without a catch for three quarters, and several difficult grabs slipped through his hands.

The Broncos paid Sutton big money this offseason to make those kinds of plays in high-leverage situations, the kind he’s been making all year. But he finished with just four catches for 53 yards in nine targets against the Bills, and Denver needs more consistency from him against New England.

Backfield trust: Backup RB Jaleel McLaughlin averaged over 5 yards a carry for the fifth straight game, and rookie RJ Harvey did some exquisite things in the passing game against Buffalo. Overall, though, Payton showed an utter unwillingness to trust his backfield against one of the league’s worst rushing defenses in the Bills.

Nix ran 12 times. McLaughlin and Harvey combined for 10 carries. In fairness, McLaughlin did fumble in the red zone in the first quarter, but Denver still recovered the ball. The overall distribution showed that Payton has almost no faith in any Bronco as a bell-cow back at the moment. He might need one Sunday, though, to support Stidham.

The Payton-Vance Joseph relationship: Boy, there would’ve been some uncomfortable conversations if the Broncos lost on Saturday. There already were, on the sideline. With Buffalo pinned at its own 12-yard line and facing a 3rd-and-5 in overtime, quarterback Josh Allen managed to escape and find a wide-open Dalton Kincaid for a first down.

Payton turned on the sideline, yelled at defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, and smacked his clipboard at him.

This happened multiple times across Buffalo’s final drive, which seemed on the brink of putting the Broncos out of business before Ja’Quan McMillian came up with the interception of a lifetime. Overall, Joseph’s defense generated five turnovers but looked often helpless against James Cook on the ground (24 carries for 117 yards) or Kincaid (six catches for 83 yards and a score). It very nearly wasn’t good enough.