Sean Payton has already etched his name into the NFL history books this season, guiding the Denver Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. That milestone makes him just the fifth head coach ever to secure the top seed in a conference with two different teams-a rare feat that speaks volumes about his adaptability and leadership.
But for Payton, the chase isn’t about personal accolades or making history. It’s about something bigger.
It’s about giving his players the chance to feel what it’s like to play for it all. To walk onto the sport’s biggest stage with everything on the line.
That’s the fuel behind his fire.
“I mean this,” Payton said, reflecting on his past playoff experiences. “The thing that was hardest about that [2018 NFC] Championship loss, with the no-call, was that you’re so excited for those who have never been to experience it.”
That infamous game-one of the most painful in recent memory for Saints fans-still lingers in Payton’s memory, not just because of the missed call, but because of what his players missed out on. For him, getting to the Super Bowl isn’t just a line on a résumé. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime moment he wants his guys to live.
“You try to tell them whatever you think it is, it’s a million times different,” he said. “Like the first five minutes of playing in that game, your feet are floating, you’re really not present. It’s hard.”
Payton recalled the advice he got leading up to Super Bowl XLIV, which he won with the Saints. He was told to make sure his team ran the ball early to settle in.
So they opened with a slant belly run. Two weeks of prep, and that was the call.
“You have two weeks to think of that and you ran a freaking slant,” he remembered being told. “Well, you told me to.”
That moment stuck with him-not because of the play call, but because of what it symbolized: the overwhelming nature of the Super Bowl stage, and how hard it is to prepare someone for it until they’ve been there themselves.
It’s why this run with Denver feels so personal. Not for himself, but for the people around him.
Veterans like 77-year-old special teams coach Mike Westhoff, who’s been in the league for decades. Talented players who’ve never gotten a taste of the big game.
Payton’s been on both sides-winning it all, and losing in the most painful ways.
“I’ve been a part of a team that lost one, and that’s traumatic,” he said. “We played the Ravens and didn’t score a touchdown.
We had a kick return for a touchdown. You go back to the party, and there’s my mom saying, ‘You were magnificent tonight.’
And you’re like, ‘No, I wasn’t.’ You get shooed off the field.”
That kind of loss sticks with a coach. It’s not just about the scoreboard-it’s about the finality, the what-ifs, and the knowledge that not everyone gets another shot.
Now, Payton and the Broncos are back in the hunt. After earning the top seed and a first-round bye, they’ll host the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round on Saturday. If they can get past Josh Allen and company, they’ll be one win away-from home-of reaching the Super Bowl.
The road won’t be easy. The field is loaded with contenders. But the Broncos are rested, focused, and led by a coach who knows what it takes to get there-and who’s driven to help his team experience it for themselves.