The Denver Broncos got that spark they were looking for with a quarterback switch — from their defense, anyway. At least, though, the Broncos are headed into a new year on a feel-good note even if they were officially eliminated from the playoff race. Jarrett Stidham threw for 224 yards and a touchdown in an uneven performance during his first start in place of a benched Russell Wilson as the Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 16-9 on Sunday.
Bill Belichick seemed content to take the game into overtime, but Sean Payton wanted another crack in regulation, so he called a pair of timeouts that ultimately helped the New England Patriots all but torpedo the Denver Broncos' playoff plans with a 26-23 stunner at frigid Empower Field on Christmas Eve. The Broncos had rallied to tie it at 23 earlier in the fourth quarter on a pair of touchdowns and a couple of 2-point conversions. “We’re not throwing caution into the wind,” Payton said of the play-calling after the Patriots snuffed out the screen.
Sean Payton insists he and Russell Wilson are good despite his tongue-lashing of Denver's quarterback during the Broncos' 42-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. Payton said he didn't need to hash things out with Wilson or address the blowup with his team. "Not at all," the Broncos' first-year head coach said Monday, two days after the defeat at Detroit.