DENVER — Nik Bonitto left no doubt about his level of frustration as a crowd of media gathered at his locker following the loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC championship game.
Bonitto, the star linebacker for the Denver Broncos, was understandably bummed that the 10-7 setback denied them a trip to Super Bowl 60.
‘It’s sickening…to think that all we fought through this year,’ Bonitto said, ‘all the games we had to win, knowing we’re definitely the better team, but it just didn’t work out that way today.’
The better team? Maybe on another day. Maybe if the Broncos had their starting quarterback, Bo Nix, who inspired so many comeback victories before suffering his season-ending broken ankle a week earlier. Maybe if a few plays had gone the other way for a team that came up clutch so often this season while living on the edge in so many games.
But facts are facts. The gritty Patriots were clearly the better team on Sunday at Empower Field, earning the trip to Santa Clara, California to face the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. At this point, there’s no debate to settle.
And of course, after improving to 9-0 on the road this season, the Patriots might take exception to not being acknowledged as the better team in their latest outing.
‘If you were the better team, you would be going to the Super Bowl,’ Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte told USA TODAY Sports when told of Bonitto’s remarks. ‘Honestly. It’s a team game. And one man didn’t win the game.’
Which sounds like the perfect rebuttal for a team with one more game to play.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell