The Denver Broncos found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots. Suffering a heartbreaking 10-7 loss, the Broncos are now back to the proverbial drawing board. This offseason, they will attempt to figure out what went wrong in the franchise’s biggest game in a decade—and try and fix the miscues and mistakes that hampered their 2025 campaign.
So close, yet so far away. Earning a division title is nice. And it’s safe to say this
was a successful season all things considered. Unfortunately, coming up short against the Patriots certainly wasn’t what the Broncos were hoping for. They had their sets much higher hoping to earn a trip to Super Bowl 60 with the chance at securing the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy.
Tough losses like Sunday’s are hard to get over, but edge rusher Jonathon Cooper knows the team has to find a way to move forward and learn from it. Just like they did last season after their early Wild Card Round exit after losing on the road to the Buffalo Bills.
“We just have to handle it the right way, and we have to make sure we come back better. We have to come together from this. It’s tough. This one’s going to sit with all of us, I think, for a while,” stated edge rusher Jonathon Cooper.
This past year, the Broncos had one of the easiest strengths of schedule in the National Football League. They wound up winning fourteen games. That’s quite impressive. Next season, things won’t be getting any easier for them. In fact, on paper they look much harder facing a gauntlet of tough opponents that are also poised to get better over the next few months.
This year’s Broncos were a battle-tested squad. That experience and grit will carry over into next season. There is no doubt foundations of the franchise are strong. They have a top-notch defense that will be bringing back most every starter. Under center, Bo Nix proved that he can be the long-term solution at quarterback in the Mile High City.
But they certainly need to get better. And for the needs that do exist? Denver has plenty of cap space and draft picks to make the necessary moves to address them. The Mile High City should be an attractive destination for any player in search of a new team in free agency. There is no doubt the Broncos will get better this offseason with outside additions.
However, a big part of a jump forward is currently players on the roster from finding a way to get better to ascend to greater height sin ’26. For some players, like rookie defensive back Jahdae Barron, this year was a learning experience. While Barron may not have got the individual reps he had hoped for in ‘25, he knows the chance to grow and get better is right there for the taking.
“Just making the most of it. Any opportunity you do get, just making it count and just learning from the older guys, and just learning ball. You can always learn. You always like to learn from veterans, even if you are older than somebody. So just taking it all in and just making the most of my opportunities,” Barron stated yesterday reflecting on the most important lesson he learned during his first NFL season.
It was a rough end to the season. Even son, I am confident that General Manager George Paton, Head Coach Sean Payton, and the rest of the team will put in the work this offseason to be better prepared to go for it all in 2026. They have improved each season they have worked together and feel confident that can be the case once again. Trust the process.
