No, he wasn't just holding back: Sean Payton's candid take on Broncos' offensive struggles

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Yes, Sean Payton would prefer to blame the Denver Broncos' stagnant offense on facing two backup quarterbacks whose teams were intent on keeping Bo Nix from running up the score.

“Yeah, I'd like to say that, but honestly, you guys know me well enough, we're going to have to play better,” the Broncos head coach said Friday after a spirited practice he compared to OTA days with the starters squaring off.

After losing 34-20 to Jacksonville at home on Dec. 21, snapping their 11-game winning streak, the Broncos won at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time since 2015 when they beat the Chiefs and their third-string quarterback 20-13 on Christmas night.

With Justin Herbert and several of his teammates sitting out Week 18, the Broncos beat the Los Angeles Chargers 19-3 but didn't score an offensive touchdown, going 0 for 3 in the red zone.

Still, those two victories helped secure the top overall seed in the AFC playoffs and the lone first-round bye that comes with it. They'll face the lowest remaining seed after wild-card weekend in the divisional round next week.

The popular narrative around Broncos Country is that Payton held back over the last two weeks with conservative calls and vanilla gameplans so as not to show anything to opponents heading into the postseason.

“I'd love to say that we pulled a bunch back, but the tape from last week wasn't really good offensively,” Payton said. “Wasn't great in Kansas City, either. It was good enough to win that game. But no, we've got to be sharper. As we get to these next games here we're going to see good teams that can score and we're going to see (stingy) defenses.”

That's why the Broncos didn't just go through the motions Friday when they reconvened after a 72-hour break to rest their minds and bodies following a 14-3 season.

“I said to them, ‘Look, I don’t want to go out and just fill in today, or just fill in time. I'm going to be honest with you, our third-down numbers bother me on each side of the ball,'" Payton recounted. "We can improve in that area.

“These games are going to come down to the 2-minute. I want those to be competitive, all right? And then I really want to work our red zone offense and defense.”

So, the Broncos didn't practice with the Chargers, Steelers, Texans or Bills in mind — those are the four teams they could face first in the divisional round — but were focused on execution and effort.

“Yeah, I was a little salty last week,” Payton said, referencing some harsh words he had for a columnist who made a wisecrack at his postgame news conference. “It wasn't just (the columnist). I was just salty.”

Payton is of the mindset that the biggest benefit to having the top seed is having to win just two games to reach the Super Bowl instead of three. Still, the rest and four days off were much needed and appreciated.

“It was good,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “It was great to get rest and be able to chill out and enjoy some family time this week. My wife and I are about 2 1/2 weeks away from our second (child), so it's nice. We're nesting a little bit. But, no, it was good. Got the body right, get some treatment, get some workouts in during the week and then today was good, clean, get to kind of knock the rust off, get some long individual work in and then compete a little bit.”

McGlinchey concurred with his coach that the film review was uncomfortable and chock full of caveats.

“First and foremost, the obvious thing is executing in the red zone,” he said. “You've got to turn field goals into touchdowns and that's how you win games, especially this late in the year and especially as you go through the playoffs. Got to be better on third down — by being better on first and second down. ... We've just go to clean up details and we'll be fine."

After another similar practice Saturday, the Broncos will return to work either Monday or Tuesday, depending on when their first game is.

“You play great teams in the playoffs, that's the bottom line,” McGlinchey said. “It doesn't matter who we play. Whoever's going to come to town here is going to be a great challenge for us and we'll cross that bridge when we get there.”

NOTES: Payton said he expected ILB Dre Greenlaw (hamstring) to return during the playoffs, but added he wasn't ready to make a prediction about the return of RB J.K. Dobbins from Lisfranc foot surgery.

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Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) passes against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton talks with quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers in Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Eric Lutzens)

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton responds to a question during a news conference after an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/Eric Lutzens)

GUATIRE, Venezuela (AP) — The United States and Venezuela said Friday they were exploring the possibility of restoring relations, as a Trump administration delegation visited the South American nation.

The visit marks a major step toward reestablishing diplomatic ties between the historically adversarial governments. In a brazen intervention last weekend, the U.S. military captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro last weekend from his compound in Caracas and flew him to New York to face federal charges of drug-trafficking.

A small team of U.S. diplomats and a security detail traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Venezuela’s government on Friday said it plans to send a delegation to the U.S. but it did not say when. Any delegation from the country traveling to the U.S. will likely require sanctions to be waived by the Treasury Department.

The government of acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez said it “has decided to initiate an exploratory process of a diplomatic nature" with the U.S., "aimed at the re-establishment of diplomatic missions in both countries."

Rodríguez is engaged in a delicate balancing act, under pressure to meet the Trump administration’s demands and also win the support of Venezuela's military hard-liners outraged over the U.S. seizure of Maduro.

Her statements on Friday laid bare that tension.

Relating her telephone conversations with the left-wing presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Spain, she condemned Washington's “grave, criminal, illegal, and illegitimate aggression” against her country.

Later, in televised remarks at the inauguration of a small women’s health clinic in downtown Caracas, she emphasized diplomacy with Trump as the best way to defend Venezuela and even “ensure the return of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.”

“We will meet face-to-face in diplomacy ... to defend the peace of Venezuela, the stability of Venezuela, the future, to defend our independence and to defend our sacred and inalienable sovereignty,” Rodríguez said without mentioning the possible resumption of operations at the U.S. embassy.

President Donald Trump has sought to coerce Rodriguez and other former Maduro loyalists still in power to advance his vision for U.S. control of Venezuela's lucrative oil exports. The South American country has the world's largest proven crude reserves.

The U.S. and Venezuela severed ties during Trump's first term in 2019. The U.S. insistence that opposition leader Juan Guaidó was the rightful president of Venezuela enraged Maduro, who maintained his firm grip on power.

That year, the Trump administration shuttered the embassy in Caracas and moved diplomats to nearby Bogotá, Colombia.

U.S. officials have traveled to Caracas just a handful of times since.

The latest visit came last February when Trump's envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, met with Maduro, paving the way for Venezuela's release of six detained Americans.

Lee reported from Washington. Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City.

Follow the AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Supporters of the Venezuelan government rally calling for the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

El Helicoide, the headquarters of Venezuela's intelligence service and detention center, stands in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026, after National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said the government would release Venezuelan and foreign prisoners. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

FILE - A local walks past a mural featuring oil pumps and wells in Caracas, Venezuela, Jan. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix, File)

A couple sits on a bench at a viewpoint overlooking the U.S. embassy, center left, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)

The U.S. Embassy stands in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

FILE - Venezuelan Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez attends the High-Level Segment of the 28th session of the Human Rights Council, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, March 3, 2015. (AP Photo/Keystone,Salvatore Di Nolfi, File)

Performers on stilts dressed as former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores wave during a march by government supporters calling for their release after U.S. forces captured them, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)

Supporters of the Venezuelan government rally calling for the release of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, who were captured by U.S. forces, in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)