Denver’s Super Bowl hopes disappeared into thin air like snowflakes drifting through the wind.

Broncos fans headed toward the exits with under two minutes left in regulation when a winter wonderland at Empower Field turned into a frozen hellscape.

An otherwise magical season ended with despair Sunday in the AFC Championship Game. Flakes continued swirling when the final whistle blew and the Patriots clinched a 10-7 triumph over the Broncos.

New England is headed to Super Bowl LX.

Denver is headed for vacation.

“You hurt for every one of those players,” coach Sean Payton said.

You could hear a pin drop in the postgame locker room — a stark contrast from the normally jubilant space. The Broncos finished 8-1 at home in the regular season and beat Buffalo there in the divisional round. None of that mattered on Sunday, when Denver fell short of the ultimate goal.

This frostbite will sting for quite some time.

“It will be all offseason,” inside linebacker Alex Singleton said. “It will be all we think about.”

The Broncos had chances to punch their Super Bowl ticket — thanks to a championship-caliber defense.

Denver led, 7-0, in the second quarter when Payton attempted a fourth-down conversion at the New England 14-yard line, instead of kicking a field goal. It failed.

Kicker Wil Lutz attempted field goals from 54 and 45 yards. He missed both.

Quarterback Jarrett Stidham performed admirably in the snow for his first NFL start in over two years. He completed 17 of 31 attempts for 133 yards, with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Courtland Sutton. But Stidham lost a fumble that later resulted in a Patriots touchdown. He also threw a fourth-quarter interception that sealed the loss.

“I was obviously super excited for the opportunity today,” Stidham said. “And just hate that we fell short.”

Now the question that will haunt Broncos Country forever: What if Bo Nix never got hurt?

The Broncos’ starting quarterback made a big leap in his second season by leading Denver to a 14-3 record and the AFC’s top playoff seed. Nix authored an NFL-record 12 comeback victories and a dramatic come-from-behind win in the playoffs over Buffalo. But he never got the storybook ending.

Nix watched the AFC Championship Game defeat from the comfort of a suite after a successful ankle fracture surgery. Reporters viewed him leaving the game using a push scooter with a cast on his right foot.

Would a healthy Nix beat the Patriots?

Teammates were less interested in hypotheticals and more interested in defending Stidham.

“Jarrett did his best,” running back RJ Harvey said. “I’m thankful for him. He’s a great vet. It was just tough conditions. He’s a leader in the locker room and I love being around him. I’m glad I get to play with him.”

The Broncos should enter the offseason with plenty of optimism for the future.

There is clear alignment between Payton, the Walton-Penner ownership group and general manager George Paton. The Broncos revived a winning culture started by late owner Pat Bowlen. Their new training facility (opening 2026) and new stadium (opening 2031) will be transformational for the franchise.

The majority of Denver’s core leadership group remains under contract entering next season. Nix is expected to return to make a full recovery. But there will also be tough roster decisions. That includes four key players — defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers, tight end Adam Trautman, safety P.J. Locke and Singleton — who enter the offseason as unrestricted free agents.

The pain of falling short in 2025 will stick with fans and players alike. The Broncos were close to lifting yet another Lombardi Trophy. But there is a glass-half-full perspective that should help ease that heartache.

Super Bowl expectations have returned to the Mile High City.

“It was a hard-fought game,” Payton said. “We didn’t do enough to win it.”