If you’re looking for someone who won’t say exactly what’s on his mind, look somewhere else than Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
With the Broncos headed into a game between first place teams with the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars headed to town for Week 16, Payton took a second to give his upcoming opponent some bulletin board material.
“We’ve gotta be on point,” Payton said on December 18. ” … as you look at (the Jaguars) and you watch the tape, you know, you see a smaller market but you see a really good team.”
It’s not often you would hear an NFL head coach mention a team’s market size. In this case, the Jaguars almost certainly have taken notice.
“It is (the Jaguars) identity of we’re not going to get respect until we take respect and that whole thing,” ESPN’s Peter Schrager said on The Bill Simmons Podcast on December 18. “And this week, Sean Payton, with some innocuous comments says essentially the Jaguars are doing a lot of good things … and no one sees them. He says they’re a small market team and for the Jaguars, that’s all they needed for motivation.”
Social Media Reacts to Payton’s Jacksonville Diss
Payton rarely does or says anything where he hasn’t already anticipated all of the outcomes.
In the case of his Jaguars comments, it was likely a case of more of the same. He understands if he can say something to infuriate the Jaguars, that’s a powerful move. It means the Jaguars are thinking about him. They’re mad about what he said and, in turn, not thinking about the game.
It’s kind of genius, actually, and it’s hard to argue with Payton’s approach with the Broncos sitting at 12-2 and on an 11-game winning streak.
The Jaguars are 10-4 and in first place in the AFC South with first year head coach Liam Coen. They’re also going to finish more than 2 games above .500 for just the third time in the last 20 years.
“Never in my life heard a coach mention market size when talking about an upcoming opponent but go off Sean Payton,” Action Sports Jax’s Jason Hamby wrote on X.
“As if this man didn’t coach in New Orleans … a smaller TV market than Jacksonville,” Jaguars fan David Cawton wrote on X.
Broncos Can Clinch AFC West, No. 1 Seed in Week 16
While the Broncos became the first AFC team to clinch a playoff spot with a 34-26 win over the Green Bay Packers in Week 15, there’s still quite a few hurdles to actually putting the division title and top seed in the books.
Even with that, there’s still a chance they could clinch both with a win over the Jaguars and some help.
They can clinch the AFC West with a win over the Jaguars along with a Los Angeles Chargers loss or tie against the Dallas Cowboys. To get the top seed and the AFC’s lone playoff bye, the Broncos would need to defeat the Jaguars along with a Chargers loss or tie, a New England Patriots loss at the Baltimore Ravens and a Buffalo Bills loss or tie at the Cleveland Browns.
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