When the Denver Broncos hired coach Sean Payton in 2023, the team had gone six straight years without a winning season and seven straight years without a playoff berth.
Payton went 8-9 in his first year on the job, two wins outside of a playoff spot. This year, the Broncos are 9-5 with three games remaining. Denver has already secured its first winning season since 2016. One more win would clinch the team’s first playoff berth since 2015.
Following a 31-13 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Payton was asked about the storied franchise returning to its winning ways.
“The appeal to me was the tradition here, the years of sustained success here and the importance of this game here,” Payton said. “You can only find a few cities you can say that about and then you find the right ownership group. There were certain things that were really important. The football tradition and history here was very appealing to me. I have known Peyton [Manning] and John [Elway] forever but it was somewhere where the fan base’s expectations were high.
“You want to be in New York, Los Angeles or Las Vegas if you’re in entertainment, you do not want to be in Rhode Island. If you are in this industry, you want to be somewhere where it is really important and the expectations are high. It is nice to get the ninth win. We will have some cupcakes for you guys as you leave and can go from there.”
#BroncosCountry LIVE: HC Sean Payton meets the media after #INDvsDEN https://t.co/YIaUiKDMnm
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) December 16, 2024
Up next is a road game against the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football. The task is simple: Win and you’re in.
