Everything Sean Payton said after Broncos fall woefully short in playoffs

The Denver Broncos' impressive season came to a disappointing end on Sunday with a 31-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

It was a thorough whooping, with Buffalo's high-octane offense leaving the Denver defense in the dust on several occasions. Josh Allen was quiet in the first half, but he exploded in the second half, tossing a couple touchdowns and leading the Bills to 21 unanswered points after the break.

Buffalo received balanced contributions from the pass-catching corps, while James Cook exploded for 123 yards and a touchdown running out of the backfield. As for the Bills defense, it was smothering from the start, giving Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix very little to work with.

Sean Payton is now 0-9 in the playoffs when trailing at halftime. The Broncos took a meaningful step forward in his second season at the helm, but there's work left to be done. This is the beginning of what feels like a promising and fruitful career for Nix, a bonafide franchise QB, but there's still a clear gap between Denver and the AFC's heavyweights.

After the game, Payton was candid with reporters about what exactly went wrong.

Everything Sean Payton said after Broncos' early postseason exit

Payton was clearly unhappy with Denver's execution on the road. Buffalo is a notoriously challenging environment this time of year. The Broncos aren't strangers to the cold, but Buffalo is a different beast all the same — especially with a raucous Bills Mafia filling out the stadium.

He put special emphasis on the run defense. Denver couldn't stop James Cook at all, with Buffalo's O-line creating oceans of space on what felt like every snap.

It's worth noting that Payton appeared more than a little upset with DC Vance Joseph in the fourth quarter, with a verbal spat caught on camera. This is not an ideal time for coaches to butt heads. Denver has been a stout defense most of the season, but Buffalo's offense is a buzzsaw.

In the end, Payton is taking the loss in stride. It's a lesson learned. This is a fairly young Broncos team, still building toward the future. Nix should have plenty more postseason appearances on the horizon. Denver can, he hopes, use this deflating loss as motivation. The goal is to never feel this way again,.

Payton is not absent blame here, of course. He was behind several head-scratching decisions, including the Broncos' motion to activate Tyler Badie over rookie Audric Estime at running back. Estime scored two touchdowns over the last three weeks and averaged 4.1 yards per carry on the season. Badie, meanwhile, appeared in three regular season games total. He wound up with just two carries for eight yards in the loss.

Rather than taking accountability for an error in judgement, however, Payton brushed aside a question on the subject.

Now, the focus shifts toward the spring, summer, and the 2025 campaign, which will arrive before we know it.

Payton has a simple goal for the Broncos' next postseason appearance: play in Denver.

Let's see if Payton's squad can deliver. The planning for 2025 starts... now.