Sean Payton Sends Rebellious Message With Broncos-Lions Comparison

Sean Payton isn't bowing down to outside criticism. No, the Denver Broncos are "bowing up."

Most Denver Broncos fans have given up hope of the team being competitively relevant this season. Most scrutiny of the Broncos has fallen on trade rumors and whether this team will be sellers at the October 31 deadline. 

Head coach Sean Payton isn't there yet, at least not publicly. In his first year with the Broncos, Payton stands with a 1-5 record, and while the team hasn't been eliminated from playoff contention yet, the probabilities make it a near certainty. 

Instead of admitting defeat, Payton opted to draw a parallel between the Broncos and the 2022 Detroit Lions, who started the season 1-6 before having a mighty change of heart, and biting kneecaps on their way to winning eight of their final 10 games. 

“There’s a fine line here between a groove and a rut. You take a look, and I’ll give you an example—Detroit," Payton said on Wednesday. "A year ago, I watched it as a media member, covering a handful of tough losses. They were 1-6. I know [Lions HC] Dan [Campbell] well, and you keep fighting. There’s a grit element involved. Some mental toughness that’s involved. Pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season. They were eliminated before [they played their final game], but they were in contention."

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Nothing Payton said was wrong. And he does know Dan Campbell well, as one of his former players in New Orleans. 

After a terrible start, the Lions forced their way back into the conversation when the playoff dust of the regular season began to settle. To use the phrase again, Detroit made itself competitively relevant, and Campbell parlayed that strong finish into a blazing 5-1 start to the 2023 campaign.  

"Here they are now as one of those teams," Payton said of the Lions. "We’re kind of in that position. We’re bowing up, and we have to.”

Payton is defying the naysayers and rebelling against the belief outside Broncos HQ that this team is already finished. You've got to respect the mentality and the messaging, but even if you're inclined to buy into Payton's rebellious glass-half-full mentality, this team has shown little evidence of the grit he spoke of. 

Mettle. Fortitude. Perseverance. 

These aren't words anyone watching or covering the NFL would use to describe the 2023 Broncos. And yet, Payton seems to be trying to speak them into existence. Again, it's admirable. And if it works, he'll be hailed as a 'gritty,' visionary leader. 

After all, leadership and innovation require a mindset of confidence, faith, and optimism, even when nobody else believes, and the deck is stacked against you. When those attributes lead to success, the leader is showered with praise, and justifiably so. 

When it doesn't, the same guy is often castigated as being delusional and disconnected from reality. From there, it's a short road to being labeled incompetent. But despite this five-loss start, we know that Denver's new coach isn't incompetent. His NFL resume proves it. 

Indeed, Payton has a "fine line" to walk as a head coach in the NFL, and at the end of the day, it's what he signed up for. It's also part of why the Broncos gave up premium draft capital and a king's salary to get Payton in Denver. Time will tell whether it all comes to fruition in 2023.

Sunday's home tilt vs. the Green Bay Packers will be a litmus test of sorts proving out just how mentally tough and resolved the Broncos are. Two games come to mind this season where the Broncos showed these traits — Week 4's comeback win in Chicago and Week 6, where the defense kept Patrick Mahomes in check long enough to buy Russell Wilson time to be within striking distance in the clutch. 

To become one of those teams that wins eight or nine of its last 10 or 11 games, the Broncos can't continue to flash for a quarter here or a half there. If Payton can coax 60 minutes of complementary football out of the Broncos, then we'll know there's truth to his belief in the 2023 squad.

And if the Broncos can consistently play a 60-minute game, they'll be a force to be reckoned with. Most fans will believe it when they see it.  

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!