Broncos coach Sean Payton has had some time to reflect on his decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss in the AFC Championship Game, and he says the mistake he made was calling a bad play, not going for it.
“I don’t know which is the greater regret, the decision — certainly the play call,” Payton said.
After quarterback Jarrett Stidham ran for five yards on third-and-6, Payton called timeout to think about what he wanted to do on fourth-and-1. Payton wishes he had come up with a better play than the incomplete pass Stidham threw, which never looked like it had a chance.
“We used a timeout,” Payton said. “Probably what irks me more is the call, more than the decision.”
Payton has been criticized for not kicking a 32-yard field goal, especially considering that there was snow coming in the second half and points were going to be at a premium. Payton indicated the snow turned out to be worse than the forecast he had seen.
“It’s still early in the game, and we knew that there would be flurries — well, we have a new feel for flurries here,” Payton said.
Payton said he wishes he could do it over again but will never listen to the criticism of his call because coaches who concern themselves with criticism don’t win.
“There are those moments you wish you had back,” Payton said. “I don’t pay attention to all the criticism. If I paid attention to that, I don’t know that we’d ever be in this position.”
The Broncos fired two other coaches besides offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi on Tuesday.
The team announced it has parted ways with Lombardi, wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch.
“I want to thank these coaches for playing an important role in elevating our program over the last three seasons,” Payton said in a statement. “I’ve been fortunate to work with Joe Lombardi for 15 years and am particularly grateful for his many contributions to our success as offensive coordinator.
“We sincerely appreciate Joe, Keary and Addison’s hard work and wish them all the best in the future.”
Lombardi worked with Payton in three different stints, including the past three as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Payton, though, is the play caller.
Lombardi’s departure could mean a promotion for quarterbacks coach Davis Webb if he remains in Denver. Webb is a frontrunner for the Raiders’ head coaching job. The Broncos, though, will have to interview at least two minority candidates to comply with the Rooney Rule.
Colbert, 43, has served as the team’s receivers coach the past three seasons. The Broncos’ wide receivers, though, were among the worst teams in the NFL at dropping passes.
Lynch, 35, started with the Broncos as a quality control coach in 2023 and was promoted to cornerbacks coach this season.
The Broncos are making a significant change to their coaching staff.
According to NFL Media, Denver has fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.
Lombardi, 54, had been with Denver since 2023 when Sean Payton was hired as head coach. The move reunited the two men, as Lombardi served as offensive assistant under Payton with the Saints from 2007-2013 and 2016-2020.
Lombardi also served as the Chargers’ offensive coordinator under former head coach Brandon Staley from 2021-2022.
The Broncos could promote from within to replace Lombardi. Passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Davis Webb — who is up for the Raiders head coaching job — would ostensibly be a strong candidate to take over the role. But it seems unlikely that Payton would give up offensive play-calling duties to whoever takes over at OC.
News of Broncos quarterback Bo Nix’s broken ankle in the divisional round of the playoffs came as a surprise since he played the entire overtime win over the Bills, but head coach Sean Payton indicated on Tuesday the injury was inevitable.
Payton said that the surgeon that operated on Nix last week said that operation uncovered signs of a problem “coming sooner than later” for the 2024 first-round pick.
“What was found was a condition that was predisposed — they always find a little more when they go in,” Payton said in a press conference. “It wasn’t a matter of if, it was a matter of when. When you look at the play and you’re trying to evaluate it — the doctor, the operating surgeon said that this was going to happen sooner than later.”
Nix also broke bones in his ankle in high school and college, but Payton said that the team is not concerned about Nix’s long-term health as a result of his latest injury and the subsequent discovery by doctors. Payton said that Nix will “go about the rehab, proper orthotics, all those things” and that the outlook is “fairly optimistic” about how soon Nix will be ready to return to football activity.
The Bills promoted Joe Brady to head coach on Tuesday. Brady apparently already knows who he wants as his defensive coordinator.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Broncos defensive pass coordinator Jim Leonhard is expected to be a leading candidate to become the next defensive coordinator for the Bills.
The Bills have to comply with the Rooney Rule before hiring Leonhard.
After eight seasons in the college ranks, Leonhard joined the Broncos in 2024 as defensive backs coach and defensive pass game coordinator. He added the title of assistant head coach in 2025.
Bobby Babich has served as the defensive coordinator for the Bills for the past two seasons. In 2024, the Bills ranked 11th in scoring defense (21.6) and 17th in total defense (341.5). The Bills were seventh (293.1) in total offense and 12th in scoring (21.5) in 2025.
