Sean Payton Speaks Out on Post-Game Incident With Panthers CB Jaycee Horn

Some post-game fireworks at Empower Field at Mile High.

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton calls plays during the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos stomped the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 28-14. The margin of victory for the home team could have been much wider had the Broncos not turned the ball over late in the game.

At the final gun, Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn could be seen jawing at Broncos head coach Sean Payton near mid-field, where the post-game hand-shakes occur. Horn's complaint? That Payton was trying to "run up the score."

Payton could be seen firing back at Horn on his way to shake hands with Panthers head coach Dave Canales.

Sean Payton was confronted on the field postgame by Carolina's Jaycee Horn, who said he was "trying to run the score up."#9sports #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/PZMvHZk2dh

— 9NEWS Sports Denver (@9NEWSSports) October 27, 2024

At the podium post-game, Payton addressed the heated conversation with Horn.

“I coached his father [Former New Orleans Saints receiver Joe Horn]," Payton said of Horn. "So I was yelling back at him. I don’t know what the exchange was but his father I enjoyed coaching. He was frustrated—I think he was yelling at one of our other players. I like him, he’s a good player.”

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Horn's sensitivity was understandable, but for what it's worth, Canales didn't seem upset after Payton trotted out a couple of trick plays to turn the screws and kept the offensive pedal to the metal. However, it only availed the Broncos of seven second-half points. Some might chalk Payton's aggressiveness up to his long-held rivalry with the Panthers for all those years in Carolina.

But I wouldn't be surprised if it had more to do with Canales' decision in the second quarter to go for it on 4th-&-2 after Payton had declined an offensive holding penalty on third down. Carolina's fourth-down attempt would be blown up by Patrick Surtain II, and a turnover on downs ensued, but Payton declined the previous penalty instead of setting Canales up for a 3rd-&-12.

It was a Josh McDaniels-esque kind of move. The Broncos took over on downs, and made Canales pay for thumbing his nose at Payton by driving 48 yards and scoring a one-yard Bo Nix rushing touchdown to end the first half.

Canales replied in kind, green-lighting a trick play of his own on a botched throw by punter Johnny Hekker pass on fourth down. Turnabout is, after all, fair play.

Payton wasn't kind in his rhetoric about the Panthers post-game, either, saying, "It's not a good offense that we played. It's just the truth."

Payton would also go on to state the obvious, even if it wasn't the greatest display of sportsmanship.

"We're going to play in bigger games than this," Payton said post-game, looking ahead to next week's tilt at the Baltimore Ravens, which will be followed by another road game at the Kansas City Chiefs, before coming back home to host the Atlanta Falcons. All three opponents are plus-.500.

At the end of the day, competition brings out the fire in men. And we saw that in the Horn-Payton mid-field exchange post-game, and by how both head coaches strategically comported themselves during the action.

Charge it to the game.

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