Sean Payton’s face and posture have become part of the show in Denver, and on Sunday they told two very different stories at once.
The Broncos coach is easy to read on the sideline, and last week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs was a rough one to watch in that regard. Payton looked noticeably stranded without his play sheet when things went sideways. This week, though, there was at least a little more comfort in the picture.
Some of what fans see from Payton has nothing to do with the Broncos’ performance. He spends a lot of time bent forward in a crouch, and that’s tied to a back issue rather than game-state drama. According to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic, Payton has an L4/L5 disc issue that often forces that posture, and at times the pain runs down his thigh and into his foot.
The injury dates back to 2013, when Payton said he was doing a lot of CrossFit training. He has said he won’t need surgery, but it helps explain why he’s often stationed the way he is.
What Payton did enjoy was the crowd noise, which became a real factor once Denver started to settle in. He spotted several Jaguars alignment problems that he believed were tied to the noise, along with some communication breakdowns.
That kind of disruption can snowball quickly. When players line up incorrectly, the play clock gets tighter, and the correction can lead to more mistakes.
It showed up midway through the fourth quarter with the game tied 13-13. Jacksonville faced third-and-8 at the Denver 36-yard line, and Trevor Lawrence had to call timeout because of the crowd noise. Lawrence looked frustrated, and the drive ended with Cam Little missing a 54-yard field goal, a miss that helped set up Denver’s chance to win.
Even with that late edge, there was plenty for the Broncos to clean up. Their offense looked far different in the second quarter than it did late, and one of the ugliest sequences came at the goal line.
Facing first-and-goal from the Jaguars’ 1, Denver got three stuffed runs from J.K. Dobbins and settled for a 20-yard Wil Lutz field goal.
On third down, Bo Nix was tripped by one of his offensive linemen.
That’s the kind of red-zone mess the Broncos will be sorting through this week, even as Payton keeps doing what he always does on the sideline: making every expression count.
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