Sean Payton’s pregame jab at Patriots just came back to haunt him

Although the Patriots entered the AFC Championship game as bettors' favorites, many analysts and fans gave them little chance of coming out of Denver as the AFC due to the hostile environment and the Broncos' strong defense.

The hype all week leading up to the game surrounded backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who was stepping up to the plate for Bo Nix after Nix suffered a broken foot in the divisional round, and how the Patriots would have to adjust their game planning to face a mostly unknown player.

That prompted many outlets and players in Denver to hype him up as if he were the next Patrick Mahomes, to the point that Sean Payton suggested they would easily win the game and have the luxury of two weeks off until the Super Bowl.

Confidence is great, but surely, the head coach is wishing he had this take back.

And let's not forget Kayshon Boutte's follow-up, letting Payton know that you can also have plenty of rest on vacation, too, which is exactly what the Broncos will be doing as the Patriots head to the Super Bowl.

Sean Payton's words come back to haunt him, as the Broncos fail to live up to the hype

It's almost always a recipe for disaster when a team overlooks their opponent as blatantly as the Broncos and Payton did this week, and that's exactly the fate they'll have to deal with going home after this big-time loss.

The Patriots might have had an "easy" schedule this season, but there's a reason they're in the Super Bowl and 30 other teams aren't, including the Broncos.

That's something the Patriots didn't do this year, and they are now reaping the rewards because of it, and a lot of that has to do with the culture that Mike Vrabel has brought to the locker room after a disastrous last few years that appeared to deflate this team from top to bottom.

It's an attitude that took them far, and will continue to help them win more games to end this season and beyond. Now they have to focus on the biggest game of the season, and in many cases, their career.