HC Sean Payton has cleared all doubts regarding his outburst on Russell Wilson. The embarrassing loss 42-17 against the Lions is a hard pill to swallow for the Broncos. Payton was seen yelling at the veteran quarterback on the sidelines when the team lost a potential chance for a second-round comeback. Fans labeled Payton, who decided not to contest two plays, as the “Worst Coach Ever” for his behavior. Given 36 hours to simmer, Payton has finally answered the lingering question surrounding his anger.
HC Sean Payton rightly looked out of his skin when the Broncos lost a potential TD chance at the end of the second half and eventually settled for a field goal. This gameplay was the turning point as the scoreline read 28-10 at halftime. This made Payton visibly furious as he yelled out at his QB and everyone took notice of the same. Now, the head coach’s statement comes with a label to his relationship with Wilson.
Sean Payton’s statement reflects how emotions run high during the game!
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In the latest ‘Around the NFL’ article, NFL writer Nick Shook enlightened the fans about why Sean Payton screamed at Russell Wilson. The word directly came from the Bronco’s head coach, who finally broke his silence on Monday. He referred to his relationship with Wilson as “great relationship.” Payton explained the reason rather quickly, “The second down call is the call that has a chance to be reviewed, that’s Jaleel [McLaughlin]’s play, and so look. Do I … yeah. Hindsight does he get in or not, it’s still hard to tell.” He was referring to the tackle made by the Lions’ defense.
For Payton, it looked like he had “broken the plane for a touchdown” while spinning out of an initial hit. This was the time when he was met at the goal lines with Lions’ linebackers, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Alex Anzalone. Even though Payton’s squad has the third and fourth down to their benefit, this discouraged him from challenging.
Similarly, he was left furious at some of the calls during the play. He also mentioned Derrick Barnes’ tackling Javonte Williams. Wilson’s handoff to Michael Burton on the fourth-and-goal was another instance. This led to an offside penalty on the right guard. Payton expressed that he “trusted his eyes” at that moment, declining to throw the red flag.
While Payton clears his relationship with Wilson, the bigger question is, can this duo make their team secure a playoff spot?
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The Broncos and the race for the playoffs
Seven wins and seven losses, but the Denver Broncos still hold the second spot in the AFC West division. The team started the season with five losses in their first six games. Right after, the Broncos made a dream comeback by winning five straight games, but the recent loss has spurred up the competition once again. But again, the Lions being an NFC team, this loss won’t impact Wilson and his squad much in the playoff tiebreakers. It’s the three AFC foes on the schedule Broncos need to tackle right now.
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The team has now lost two out of their last three games and is desperately looking forward to getting back to winning ways. They have three games remaining, and the simple solution is – Broncos must ‘win out’. Well, there is barely any room for another loss. The catch here is even if that happens, the Broncos would still need help.
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