The Denver Broncos are now 7-2 in one-score games on the season, doing a total 180 from the 2024 NFL Season. Funnily enough, the Kansas City Chiefs are now 0-5 in one-score games after going 11-0 in such games in 2024.
The NFL is a funny league, and it's clear that Denver is going in the right direction, but Kansas City is not. There are a multitude of reason for this, and one of those reasons could simply be roster talent - the Broncos have significantly more talent than the Chiefs on paper, and that was a deciding factor in this game.
Anyway, kicker Wil Lutz kicked yet another walk-off field goal and has been extremely clutch for the Broncos this year. It was a back-and-forth game as expected. Well, coming out of the tunnel at halftime, Sean Payton was interviewed by Tracy Wolfson, and he took quite the shot at Andy Reid and the Chiefs.
Sean Payton knew the Denver Broncos were going to win this game
Here is the interview, pay attention to what Payton said:
Sean Payton at halftime:
— Normie (@AllProHufanga) November 17, 2025
“There’s a certain way a game is going to unfold and this is to our advantage.”
“We’ll pick it up offensively.”
“The team we’re playing is more of a first half team.”
The audacity to say that about a 6-6 game against KC and back it up with a win… pic.twitter.com/znpxA9KoZy
"There's a certain way a game is going to unfold, and this is to our advantage, we think... the team we're playing is more of a first half team." -- Sean Payton
Is this not a direct shot at the Chiefs? It is, 100%, and Payton was, yet again, correct. The Broncos and Chiefs were in a one-score game late in the game, and as Denver has done the entire season thus far, for the most part, they pulled it out.
Some teams simply aren't good in one-score games, and the Broncos experienced that in 2024. Heck, after that blocked field goal at Arrowhead back in 2024, the Broncos have since gone 14-4 in the regular season.
It's clear that underperforming in one-score games last year has helped the Broncos close those games out this year. It's a massive area of growth, and you can tell how confident Sean Payton is that his team wil be able to pull these games out.
That doesn't mean it's always going to end the way it has recently, but usually a team this good in one score games remains as good for the rest of the season. For the Chiefs, the one-score, slim-margins caught up to them in the Super Bowl.
Let's hope, if the Broncos make the Super Bowl, they don't have the same fate.