Almost three years ago to the day, the Denver Broncos reached an agreement with the New Orleans Saints on a trade that sent NFC coaching legend Sean Payton to Denver, marking the first conference switch of his career in exchange for a pair of draft picks, including a 2023 first-rounder.
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At the time, the AFC West, and especially Denver’s side of the playoff bracket, felt like unfamiliar territory for Payton. But as he walked off the field at Mile High Stadium on Sunday, it was clear he had firmly established his place.
After securing the No. 1 seed and overseeing the development of his young quarterback, Payton appeared to have checked every box needed to reach his first Super Bowl since 2010. That path unraveled in the closing moments of the Divisional Round, however, when Bo Nix suffered a broken ankle. The injury proved decisive, opening the door for the New England Patriots to pull away and end Denver’s season. Payton was visibly upset by the loss, and rightfully so, according to Terry Bradshaw.
Bradshaw took the time during the NFC Championship’s pregame show on Fox Sports to acknowledge the decorated head coach. “I feel for Sean Payton and Denver,” Bradshaw started.
“You go into that game after you had lost your quarterback. I think they made a bad decision when they got down around the 8-yard line by not taking points. I’m all about points in playoff games and I think Sean could have tied the game up at 10 all, and as you saw, the final was 10-7. But once again, great job by Sean Payton turning that [franchise] around.”
Of course, while Denver is busy lamenting their loss and feeling the agony of defeat, Drake Maye and Mike Vrabel are busy enjoying the thrills and spoils of victory. According to the team’s former tight end and future NFL Hall of Famer, Rob Gronkowski, there can be no underselling of what the Patriots have been able to accomplish this season.
After finishing the 2024 regular season with a 4-13 record, Maye and co managed to score the second-most points of any team in the league in 2025, and now that they are officially in the Super Bowl, that’s enough for Gronk to call this “one of the greatest turnarounds in all of sports.”
“Pats nation, we’re going back to the Super Bowl, baby,” the former tight end exclaimed. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
They may not be able to enlist the services of Gronkowski for this one, but fans can still expect the Patriots to bring out as many of their illustrious alumni as possible on February 8th, as they now hope to become the first franchise in NFL history to secure a seventh Lombardi trophy.
