Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton tipped his cap to the Las Vegas Raiders following their 10-7 showdown on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 10, but he also had a clear message for his team following a historic outing.
The Broncos leaned on their defense, which sacked Raiders quarterback Geno Smith 6 times and intercepted him once. They also blocked a punt and benefited from a missed field goal.
And yet, after such a hard-fought contest, Payton did not mince words about what lies ahead.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Puts Players on Notice After Raiders Game
Payton’s Broncos failed to generate the fourth-quarter magic they displayed in previous weeks, which they were able to get away with, with their defense playing at such a high level against a 2-6 Raiders team.
However, the Broncos’ next game is against the Kansas City Chiefs.
“It was a short week [in Week 9]. These guys will be back Monday, and we know we got a big one coming up against Kansas City,” Payton told reporters on November 6. “The staff and the players will have this time away. And then, one of the tough things about ‘Thursday Night Football’ is the short week and the preparation. The positive is, after the game, obviously, if you win, you have that mini bye. But the turnaround is tough, and guys handled it well.”
The Broncos split their two matchups against the Chiefs last season, but their win came in Week 18 as Kansas City rested its starters for the postseason.
The Chiefs are on their bye in Week 10, and they will enter their first meeting against the Broncos this season at 5-4. They are also battle-tested and still have Patrick Mahomes. The Broncos could need another all-time performance from their defense.
Broncos Must Clean Up Mistakes
Payton noted the Raiders’ defense did some things the Broncos did not anticipate, and downplayed the impact the wind had on the contest.
He lamented some of his own play calls, citing Wil Lutz’s missed 59-yard field goal attempt and the third-down play that called for Courtland Sutton to pass the ball, praising the wideout for holding onto it instead.
Payton bristled at a question about whether or not he was “comfortable” with the Broncos’ trend.
“We got to clean up the penalties. We got to clean up some of the execution, and that is an ongoing thing that probably never ends. You search for that ‘Shangri-La.’ Right now, we’re a team that’s sitting at eight wins. I think we’re the only team sitting there, so. And yet, we’re constantly looking internally,” Payton said. “It was a tough night offensively, obviously.
“You start looking at your call sheet, with your sub plan. And so, we’ll look at that tape, and we’ll learn from it. We always will.”
The Broncos had gotten by with fourth-quarter explosions, but their offensive struggles on Thursday were more indicative of their performance most of the time in games. They set a new season low with 220 total net yards of offense.
Broncos-Raiders Snaps NFL Drought
The Broncos and Raiders’ showing was not simply an exercise in offensive futility; it also had historical significance.
“Broncos and Raiders each had more penalties than first downs tonight,” Next Gen Stats’ Bill Smith posted on X on November 6. “Only the second time since 1950 this happened, and it’s fitting the first was a battle of 0-5 expansion teams in 1976.”
The Broncos and Raiders will meet again in Week 14 in Las Vegas.
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