Sean Payton's lively interview in USA Today was a breath of fresh air for Broncos Country, but his comments could end up having devastating consequences. There was one small quote from Payton's interview that could end up being used as bulletin board material for the Denver Broncos in 2023.
The interview can be found here, and man, it's filled with a ton of good stuff. This was excellent work from Jarrett Bell. You can see all of the comments he made, and he didn't hold anything back, casting blame on a ton of high-profile people in the organization, and honestly making Russell Wilson look quite good, saying that he thinks Wilson has gas left in the tank.
However, one part of this interview could end up coming back to bite the Denver Broncos. Here is what I am talking about:
"“I’m going to be pissed off if this is not a playoff team,”"Sean Payton (via USA Today)
There you have it. If this is not an endorsement, guarantee, or whatever you want to call it about the Broncos making the playoffs in 2023, I don't know what is. Sean Payton is truly making a bold statement here. The Broncos have not made the playoffs since 2015, and currently have the second-longest active playoff-drought streak in the NFL, only behind the New York Jets.
When Payton arrived in New Orleans as their head coach in 2006, he coached them into an immediate turnaround that consisted of a 10-6 record and a playoff berth, reinvigorating the organization. Well, Payton seems to think that he can do the same thing with the Denver Broncos.
Not only is this a bold statement to make in general, but the AFC is also a loaded conference, and there are 10+ teams who all have a very solid argument to make the postseason. It may take no less than 10 wins for teams in the AFC to clinch a spot in the dance. There may not have been a more talented conference than what we could see from the AFC in 2023.
The flip side of this is that if the Broncos do in fact miss the playoffs. Just imagine how devastating this could be for the Broncos. The national NFL landscape would go crazy with this quote, and would have more material to dog the Broncos with. This would especially hurt if the Jets made the postseason and the Broncos missed it.
To say this experience would be miserable is a massive understatement. I sure hope that Sean Payton has a plan to get this team into the playoffs, as he's just about guaranteed it with this quote in USA Today.