Sean Payton Laments Broncos Committing 'Far Too Many Fouls'

"We’ve got to get a lot of that cleaned up."

Aug 11, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Denver Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton shares a word with a referee during the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports / Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

One of Sean Payton's biggest bugaboos occurred on an otherwise stellar Sunday evening for the Denver Broncos, who defeated the Green Bay Packers, 27-2, in its preseason home opener.

"We had enough penalties for three games, and we’ve got to get a lot of that cleaned up," the veteran head coach bemoaned.

That's an approximation; the exact number of Broncos penalties numbered 13. Wiped off the board were 120 yards and two notable non-plays, including a Bo Nix touchdown called back by an illegal forward pass.

The week prior, Denver was flagged six times negating 60 yards in a 34-30 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

"We have a 38-yard run called back because of a penalty. I want to look at the tape," Payton said in his post-game presser. "Like I said at the onset, [we had] far too many fouls. So they set you back. They take yards off your numbers, but more importantly they also take away field position."

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After blasting Broncos predecessor Nathaniel Hackett for "one of the worst coaching jobs in history" due in part to infractions, Payton's squad committed 99 penalties last season — 15th-most in the NFL — 40 of which were of the pre-snap variety.

The situation remains ongoing.

"They’ll be a number of things we look at on tape and we’re happy with and they’ll be some things that obviously we have to get cleaned up," Payton said Sunday.

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