"One, two, three... Cancun!"
One might typically associate Cancun with white-sand beaches, ocean opulence and Mexican Caribbean sunshine that forge one of the world's luxury holiday destinations. In sport, it has become apex trash-talk synonymous with wound-licking trophy-less rehab.
Welcome to the graveyard for fallen seasons, where foiled Super Bowl dreams seek a sun-kissed reset, where players flock to process the fallout away from the spotlight. Or so the narrative might have you believe.
January is the unwritten, unofficial month of Cancun marketing in the NFL, social media revelling in the image of Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow sipping cocktails on the sand after missing out on the playoffs.
And cue the smiling indicative of the aforementioned trio welcoming Josh Allen to the not-very-party party after his postseason exit with the Buffalo Bills. It may not quite equate to wincing on cheap tequila in Coco Bongo among spring-breakers, but no player wants to hear a mention of Cancun. Not unless there is a Super Bowl ring decorating the hand with which they clutch their margarita.
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton this week urged his team's fans to ramp up the noise early in the play clock during Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Patriots, noting New England's threat while playing with tempo on offense. He suggested there would be ample time to get their voices back.
"They're going to have plenty of rest after this one," he said. "Two weeks."
The final comment would be deemed a thinly-veiled reflection of his belief the Broncos will beat the Patriots this weekend to reach Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California on February 8. Who could blame him?
Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte proposed new plans.
"They can rest in Cancun, too, at the end of the day. It is what it is," he said.
Responding to Payton's comments, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel added: "I think we're plenty motivated for the game."
Derogatory Cancun connotations actually stem from the NBA and the 1998 Western Conference finals, during which the Utah Jazz were dominating a young Los Angeles Lakers team that included Shaquille O'Neal and 19-year-old Kobe Bryant.
Prior to Game Four the losing team, down 3-0 in the series, gathered in a huddle to reel off a chant of "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 trademarked that thing," said Van Exel in an interview in 2022.
Behold sport's retreat for unwelcome reflection.
In December the Los Angeles Chargers and their famed social media department had joked of the Chiefs driving to Cancun having just eliminated Andy Reid's side from postseason contention.
Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase later suggested he would follow suit after missing out on the playoffs.
"I'm going to go to Cancun like everybody tells me to do," said Chase after his side's final regular-season game. "And I'm going to enjoy myself, because I don't have nothing else to do."
Payton's Broncos will be led by backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham this weekend as he starts in place of the injured Bo Nix, who suffered a broken ankle in the closing stages of Denver's Divisional Round win over the Bills.
"I've seen a lot of confidence," said Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II. "He's got a type of mojo with him, a type of confidence with him that you rarely see, and I'm excited for him for this opportunity. He's got everything it takes, you know what I mean, to shine on this level, and I'm looking forward to it."
Stidham, in his seventh year in the NFL, has started just four games in the league since being drafted by the Patriots in 2019, and has not thrown a pass in a regular-season game since 2023.
"I mean this is just written in the history books already," said Your Site NFL's Phoebe Schecter. "This reminds me of Nick Foles and the Eagles.
"Sean Payton wouldn't want this any other way. I mean, he loves this storyline. He loves the idea that he could be the coach that gets to a Super Bowl with a backup quarterback. And that just kind of elevates his entire presence and who he is."
Denver are one win from returning to the Super Bowl at Levi's Stadium a decade on since beating the Carolina Panthers at Super Bowl 50 in the same venue.
"He's going to rip it, and that will be our approach," added Payton. "He has this calm demeanour that I think suits him well. He's played in big games in college. I said this at the start of the season, I felt like our [No.] 2 was inside the best 32 [quarterbacks], and I think everyone feels that way. That's why that signing was important. You don't know when it's happening, but I'm glad it happened. I'm glad that acquisition took place."
The Patriots are meanwhile led by MVP finalist Drake Maye, who led the league with a completion percentage of 72 during the regular season as he threw for 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions with a league-best passer rating of 113.5.
New England are back in the AFC Conference title game for the first time since 2019, when they went on to beat the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LIII with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still in the fold.
The winner advances to the Super Bowl. The loser... Cancun?
Watch the Denver Broncos face the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game and the Los Angeles Rams against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship Game, live on Your Site NFL from 7.30pm on Sunday January 25.
