Did Broncos’ Sean Payton take a shot at the Panthers following Denver’s win?

Sean Payton appeared to make a disparaging comment towards the Panthers after Sunday's victory.

Oct 6, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton following win against the Las Vegas Raiders Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers lost on Sunday while visiting the Denver Broncos. It was a 28-14 loss, but it was essentially non-competitive after the first quarter. Sean Payton appeared to make some disparaging comments about the Panthers following the game.

Sean Payton seemingly disses Panthers after win

Sean Payton on preparing for road game next week at Ravens, and will he sleep tonight, given how disturbed he was by fumbles:
“I’ll sleep fine. Look we have a big game this week against a much better team.” #9sports

— MikeKlis9NEWS (@mikeklis9news) October 28, 2024

"I'll sleep fine. Look, we have a big game this week against a much better team."

- Sean Payton

Sean Payton was asked about crucial fumbles that played a role in the outcome of the game. The first one led to the Panthers' first scoring drive and an early 7-0 lead for Carolina. The second came at the goal-line and prevented a score from totally icing the game late in the fourth quarter.

But Payton said he's not too worried about it, and is instead worried more about the team's next matchup with a team he said was significantly better than Carolina. At 5-3, the Baltimore Ravens are definitely better than the 1-7 Panthers, but it's not a comment a coach usually makes against his opponent.

Payton has seen the Panthers a lot over the years. His victory on Sunday was his 18th against them, the most any coach has had against Carolina. It's also not the first time Payton has made offputting but not inaccurate statements about teams or people.

After Nathaniel Hackett was fired and Payton was brought in, he said it was "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." That may not be incorrect, but it's again not a comment a coach should be making about his predecessor.

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