“One, two, three… Cancun!”
Cancun might normally be associated with the white sand beaches, ocean bounty and Mexican Caribbean sun that make up one of the world’s luxury vacation destinations. In sports, it has become synonymous with rehabilitation without trophies to lick the wounds.
Welcome to the graveyard of fallen seasons, where dashed Super Bowl dreams seek a sunlit reset, where players gather to process the aftermath away from the spotlight. Or at least the narrative might lead you to.
January is the NFL’s unwritten, unofficial Cancun marketing month, social media reveling in the image of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow sipping cocktails on the sand after missing the playoffs.
And cue the smiles Tom Brady meme indicative of said trio welcoming back Josh Allen to a not-quite-a-party after his offseason with the Buffalo Bills. It may not be the same as hitting the cheap tequila at Coco Bongo in the middle of spring, but no player wants to hear the mention of Cancun. Not unless there’s a Super Bowl ring adorning the hand they’re holding their margarita with.
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On Inside the Huddle, Neil Reynolds and Phoebe Schecter discuss whether Denver backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham can lead the Broncos to Super Bowl glory.
Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton this week urged his team’s fans to turn up the volume at kickoff during Sunday’s AFC Championship game against the Patriots, noting New England’s threat as they play up-tempo on offense. He suggested that there would be enough time to get their votes back.
“They’ll get plenty of rest after this,” he said. “Two weeks.”
The latter comment would be seen as a thinly veiled reflection of his belief that the Broncos will beat the Patriots this weekend and reach the Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. on Feb. 8. Who could blame him?
Patriots wide receiver Kaishon Boutte proposed new plans.
“They can relax in Cancun at the end of the day. It is what it is,” he said.
Responding to Payton’s comments, Patriots coach Mike Vrabel added, “I think we’re motivated enough for the game.
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Out of this world catch from Keyshawn Boot extends the Patriots lead over the Texans and one step closer to the AFC Championship game!
The pejorative connotations of Cancun actually stem from the 1998 NBA and Western Conference Finals, during which the Utah Jazz dominated a young Los Angeles Lakers team that included Shaquille O’Neal and a 19-year-old Kobe Bryant.
Before Game 4, the defeated team, down 3-0 in the series, gathered in the crowd to chant “One, two, three… Lakers!”; Nick Van Exel, a five-year veteran at the time, instead twisted it into his own version of “One, two, three… Cancun!”.
“I probably should have protected that thing,” Van Exel said in a 2022 interview.
Check out the sports shelter for junk thinking.
Back in December, the Los Angeles Chargers and their famous social media department joked that the Chiefs driving to Cancun had just eliminated Andy Reid’s team from postseason contention.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Mar Chase later suggested he would follow after missing the playoffs.
“I’m going to Cancun like everybody tells me,” Chase said after his team’s final regular season game. “I’m going to enjoy myself, because I have nothing else to do.”
Peyton’s Broncos will be led this weekend by backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who will start in place of the injured Bo Nix, who suffered a broken ankle late in Denver’s Divisional Round win over the Bills.
“I saw a lot of confidence,” Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II said. “He’s got a kind of poise with him, a kind of confidence with him that you rarely see, and I’m excited for him for this opportunity. He’s got what it takes, you know what I mean, to shine at this level, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Stidham, in his seventh year in the NFL, has started just four games since being drafted by the Patriots in 2019, and hasn’t thrown a pass in the regular season since 2023.
“I think this is already written in the history books,” NFL’s Phoebe Schecter told Sky Sports. “This reminds me of Nick Foles and the Eagles.
“Sean Payton wouldn’t have it any other way. I mean, he loves this story. He loves the idea that he could be a coach that could get to the Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. And it just kind of elevates his whole presence and who he is.”
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Highlights of the Divisional Round matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Denver Broncos during the 2025 NFL season.
Denver is one win away from returning to the Super Bowl at Levi’s Stadium a decade after beating the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 at the same venue.
“He’s going to tear it up and that’s going to be our approach,” Payton added. “He has a calm demeanor that I think suits him well. He played in big games in college. I said it at the beginning of the season, I felt like our (No.) 2 was a top-32 (quarterback), and I think everybody feels that way. That’s why that signing was important. You don’t know when it happened, but I’m glad it happened, but I’m glad it happened.”
The Patriots, meanwhile, are led by MVP finalist Drake May, who led the league with a 72 completion percentage during the regular season when he threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions with a league-best 113.5 passer rating.
New England is back in the AFC title game for the first time since 2019, when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still in the lineup.
The winner goes to the Super Bowl. Loser… Cancun?
Watch the Denver Broncos take on the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, live on Sky Sports NFL from 7.30pm on Sunday 25 January.