Buffalo Bills Coach Sean McDermott Credits Denver Broncos' Sean Payton: 'Phenomenal Job!'

Sean McDermott has faced Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton 12 times in his time with the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills.

If Sean McDermott is going to get the Buffalo Bills back on track, he'll have to do it against a familiar foe dating back to his time as a defensive coordinator. 

The Bills head coach has consistently gone head-to-head against Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. While McDermott was the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator from 2011-2016, his time overlapped with Payton's tenure as the New Orleans Saints head coach from 2006-2021.

Across their time together in the NFC South, the Panthers were 5-5 against the Saints with McDermott as their defensive coordinator. Since McDermott has gone on to be the Bills head coach, he's gone 1-1 against Payton, with the Saints winning 47-10 in 2017 and the Bills winning 31-6 on Thanksgiving in 2021.

Sean McDermott (left) and Sean Payton / USA TODAY

"He is who he is for a reason," McDermott said. "He's done a phenomenal job [and I have] a ton of respect. We've gone against each other countless times in the NFC South for years. We've had our battles, and he's a phenomenal head coach, leader and really smart when you get a chance to get around him and talk with him. I'm not surprised that they're playing the way that they are, beating the Chiefs and then watching their team come together the way it has."

Now, Payton has the Broncos (3-5) trending in the right direction. After an abysmal 1-5 start to the season that included a 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Denver has won its last two games, including a 24-9 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 29. 

"They're coming together," McDermott said. "Defensively, they're holding people to fewer and fewer points since that game and it seems like they're coming into their own overall as a team and I think that starts with the head coach."

The Broncos' defense has allowed 20.8 points per game in their last five games since they played the Dolphins on Sept. 24. 

Buffalo (5-4) will look to get back on track when it hosts the Broncos on Monday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET at Highmark Stadium.