Sean Payton - Head Coach, broncos Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-20 | Full transcript (primary source).
Sean Payton, Head Coach of the Broncos, addressed the media following a game on September 20, 2026, reflecting on the team's performance and key player contributions. The press conference focused on the team's offensive consistency and defensive efforts during the match.
Transcript
Payton: It kind of felt like it was really a tale of two halves. Obviously, we played well in the first half. It was kind of a lower scoring game. We had opportunities offensively. But then the second half, I thought we really kind of came out and had a lot more consistency. But it was a good win. Any questions?
Reporter: Sean, obviously Riley takes the ball away there in the third quarter. What did you make of sort of the defense's effort after all these technicians?
Payton: It's a real good offense. And when you looked at last year's game, I thought they were outstanding. Like, they're going to make their plays. But it was a much different game than a year ago. And we got our hands on a few others. But we got off the field. Third down, that was good.
Reporter: Coach, to your left, Jalen Waddle goes for eight catches, 138 yards. How big was his impact in this game?
Payton: Oh, it was significant, right? Just gave him a game ball. And yeah, you can see the explosiveness, the run after the catch, all of those things. So glad he's ours.
Reporter: Coach, even before scoring the touchdowns, you were moving the ball, I think several possessions, multiple first downs, 40 plus yards. Did you feel like it was going to come just the way you were moving the football?
Payton: It's hard to predict if it's going to come relative to touchdown. In other words, the thing was like, look, two different drives. We end up down there and kind of shoot ourselves. And I think the guys felt it half time, like, look, let's just stick to the stuff we're doing well. And then, like I said, the second half was entirely different.
Reporter: Could you talk about this week, as far as the sense of urgency with tackling, running the ball after what happened Monday night?
Payton: Listen, it's our league. When you have a tough game like that, you've got to get through the week. And it's why a lot of these players are here from a makeup standpoint. They're not here for the wins. They're here for some of the bumps that we know are going to come. But it was much better, obviously, defensively, better in the second half, offensively, and special teams. That was a good team we played, and it was a good win.
Reporter: You start a new season, Coach, that it's a new story. You're writing a new chapter of the book. This game felt a lot like last year, at least from a watching it perspective, the way you guys dominated late. When Bo throws that pick, that one intended for Sutton, was there anything said there? Or was it just he's been trying to know that he's going to settle down?
Payton: It was a good defensive play. It was a zero look. And we were far apart. They still banjoed it. And so the nickel fell off and made the play. So it's a full blitz look. And in tight, they just kind of played combination coverage. So yeah, I mean, I felt the same way you did. This felt more what we're expecting, certainly coming off last week, and it was a good response.
Reporter: Yeah. Back to Waddle, as opposed to week one. And so much more production this week. Is it scheme? Is it matchup? Is it chemistry?
Payton: I think this, when you possess the ball, and I don't know what our snap totals were, when you convert thirds. I felt like last week, we had three and outs, short drives. There were a couple attempts. But then all of a sudden, you're looking at the fourth quarter. Where'd the game go, relative to offensively? How are we producing? And when we needed to, we ran it. And then I'm going to just guess the pitch count, or the snap count totals were entirely different, and our numbers were different. But the long play was a big play. It's hard to predict each week if you're going to get one of those. But there's so many things he can do. You guys saw it all through camp. And I think it's a little bit of both, relative to your question. I think, A, because he plays in the slot, or goes to Z, there's some matchups. They're a zone coverage team by nature. We caught him in some man looks. And then I think it's throughout the week, how is this player getting the ball? How are these players getting the ball regardless? And then he had one of those breakout games. So that was great to see. He's kind of infectious. You guys have covered him now. He doesn't have bad days. He likes football. He's a real good teammate. And so we needed it. It was good for offense.
Reporter: Sean, you were down a couple of running backs, Harvey, and then Dobbins got hurt. What can you say about Jonah Coleman coming and scoring the touchdown, and then how he did on the last drive?
Payton: He played well. And then at the very end, that last carry, we work on four-minute, but that certainly didn't feel like a rookie series, if you will. You know what I mean? So he came up big, and we needed it. We were, look, you carry three on game day. Like everyone else, we were down to two in the fullback. But those guys did a good job. And then we found a couple schemes that we liked and stayed with it. But his play right at the end, just staying in bounds. There was something you covered, but maybe he doesn't get those same reps in practice, and he did a good job.
Reporter: Coach, was there a concerted effort to just run the Baltimore?
Payton: Yeah. I mean, I think so. I think we're built up front and a little bit more under center. You know, just you're constantly looking to find ways to take the quarterback off the high dive, right? And so the two greatest allies for that position are defense and a good run game. But those guys up front did a good job, and D-Web did a great job. We had good balance. It was a good win.
Reporter: Sean, did you talk to Jake right here? Did you talk to Jake after the game? How's he doing?
Payton: No, he was in there. I mean, I've talked to him. He's frustrated. He's got a little hamstring. We'll see where it's at. My back's sore again, so I was bent over. I just want to make sure that when you guys see that, I can bring you the MRIs.
Reporter: What else? You mentioned Davis. What did you, I guess, see from him this week, and then also when you don't have a lot of success early? You talked about that in the preseason, about as a play caller like Johnny Giese.
Payton: Listen, for every one of us, I mean this. And sometimes the coach will say, you know, we all, but there were a lot of things we all didn't do well last week, starting with me and defensively, you know, all of that. So it's tough to go back to work. It's tough for Davis, you know? And he responded the right way. The meetings, you know, how we handled the schedule, and then the first half, you know, and all of that. But you keep grinding at it, and things really picked up in the second half. And that was important. There was a certain way we wanted to play this game. And I'm pleased that we were able to play that game, especially in the second half. We played it that way defensively in the first half. We had opportunities. We came with just one field goal. But yeah, the second half was much better.
