The Broncos appear to be on their way to another losing season, as Thursday night’s loss to the Chiefs drops Denver’s 2023 record to 1-5. That is despite bringing in Super Bowl champion Sean Payton as coach, as Denver was expected to improve this year based on a coaching upgrade alone.
Following the game, a number of analysts criticized the Broncos, with many pointing blame at Payton. To wit, ESPN’s Robert Griffin III said Payton is at risk of losing the locker room due to the way he’s approached this season.
“The Denver Broncos aren’t playing to win football games. They are playing to win the BLAME GAME,” Griffin wrote on social media. “That’s what happens when Sean Payton comes in throwing shade at his Super Bowl Winning QB Russell Wilson EVERY CHANCE HE GETS. The locker room will implode because no one in it believes the coach has their best interest at heart.”
Payton was critical of the situation he inherited, famously skewering predecessor Nathaniel Hackett by saying he performed “one of the worst coaching jobs” in NFL history. However, Payton also focused on quarterback Russell Wilson, saying the quarterback needed to “stop kissing all the babies” in order to turn things around.
Entering the season, Payton thought the Broncos were good enough to make the playoffs, so it’s fair to say the season hasn’t gone as planned thus far. The only way out for Denver might be a true rebuild, which would be an admission by Payton that his first approach as Denver head coach failed.
