Broncos’ Drop Problem Comes to a Head After AFC Title Game Loss
The Denver Broncos’ season came to a halt in the AFC Championship Game, and while there’s plenty to unpack from their loss to the New England Patriots, one issue stands out like it has all year: dropped passes. It’s been the thorn in Denver’s side from Week 1 to the final whistle of the postseason, and now, with the season officially over, head coach Sean Payton isn’t sugarcoating it anymore.
After the game, Payton didn’t just take the usual coach-speak route of “we’ve got to be better.” He pointed directly to the drops - a problem that’s haunted the Broncos offense all season - and acknowledged it in a way we hadn’t quite heard from him before.
“I know this. I’m going to look at it and be critical of myself, and I think there were a number of things that we just had to do better.
We didn’t finish some runs, and we dropped some passes. Again, felt like that was a problem all year.” - Sean Payton, via Broncos PR
That’s as candid as it gets from Payton, who opened his postgame remarks by taking accountability for the loss. But he didn’t stop there.
He made it clear that while he’ll shoulder the blame as head coach, the issues on offense - especially the drops - were systemic and consistent. And now that the season’s over, he has the green light to be blunt about it.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a one-game anomaly. The Broncos led the AFC in dropped passes, trailing only the Jaguars league-wide.
Bo Nix, who showed plenty of promise in his rookie year, saw more yards lost to drops than all but four quarterbacks in the NFL. That’s not just bad luck - that’s a personnel problem.
And it wasn’t isolated to one or two guys. Courtland Sutton, despite being the team’s most experienced receiver, had a season full of frustrating drops, especially in key moments.
Troy Franklin, who flashed early in the year, saw a dip in reliability down the stretch. Evan Engram, brought in to be a versatile "Joker" weapon in the offense, struggled with consistency.
Lil’Jordan Humphrey had multiple drops in the postseason alone. It was a full-room issue, and it cost Denver dearly.
This all circles back to a conversation from a year ago. When asked whether wide receiver was the team’s biggest need, Payton said no - instead pointing to the need for a "Joker" player who could create mismatches.
He went out and got two potential fits in Engram and RJ Harvey. But looking at how the season unfolded, it’s hard to argue against the idea that the Broncos desperately needed a reliable, sure-handed wideout.
And it’s not like the front office didn’t explore the idea. There were rumblings over the past year about Denver’s interest in big-name receivers like Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Waddle, Deebo Samuel, and Cooper Kupp. But ultimately, they chose to roll with what they had - a decision that now looks increasingly questionable.
The bottom line? The Broncos didn’t just have a drop problem - they had a wide receiver problem. And now, with the offseason ahead, Sean Payton has a chance to fix it.
This isn’t about scapegoating one player or even one position group. It’s about recognizing that Denver’s offense, as currently constructed, lacked a go-to target who could be trusted when the game was on the line. That’s a tough pill to swallow after coming one win short of the Super Bowl, but it’s a necessary one.
Now the question becomes: What does Payton do next? The tape doesn’t lie, and neither do the numbers.
Denver needs to retool its receiver room - not just with speed or size, but with hands they can trust. Because for all the strides they made this season, the drops were the anchor that held them back.
And if Payton’s postgame tone is any indication, he knows it’s time to cut that anchor loose.