Sean Payton and the Broncos did more than just survive a tough road test in Kansas City last night - they made a little history along the way.
In a gritty, hard-fought win over the Chiefs - Denver’s first victory at Arrowhead Stadium in a full decade - Payton quietly joined an elite coaching club. With this latest 13-win season, he becomes just the second head coach in NFL history to notch five seasons of 13 or more wins, joining none other than Bill Belichick, who has seven.
Payton, never one to make it about himself, kept the focus on the people around him when asked about the milestone.
“I’ve been fortunate to have been on and coached a lot of great players,” he said postgame. “There’s nothing like winning.
When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams. We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams.
I’ve been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins.
Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”
If you track back through Payton’s time in New Orleans, the numbers back it up. His Saints teams hit the 13-win mark in 2009, 2011, 2018, and 2019.
They also posted 11 wins in 2010, 2013, and 2017, plus a 12-win campaign in 2020. That’s eight seasons with 11 or more wins - consistent excellence over a long stretch, and now he’s doing it again in Denver.
But last night wasn’t just about Payton’s personal milestone. It was about this Broncos team finally slaying a dragon that’s loomed large for years.
Ten seasons had come and gone since Denver last walked out of Arrowhead with a win. And while that drought might have weighed heavily on fans, Payton made it clear it wasn’t something he brought into the locker room.
“Those are someone else’s demons,” he said. “I heard that all the time in New Orleans: ‘You’ve never won a playoff game.’
That’s not this team. You can’t fight those other demons.”
And that’s the mentality that’s driving this Broncos squad. They’re not interested in ghosts of seasons past - they’re locked in on what’s still in front of them.
Yes, they’ve clinched a playoff spot, but Payton made it clear that wasn’t the goal. The first box to check?
Win the division. That still hangs in the balance.
If the Chargers handle business against the Texans on Saturday, the AFC West crown will come down to Week 18 - Chargers at Broncos, with everything on the line. And if Payton’s group can pull that off, he’ll hit another milestone: his first-ever 14-win season.
For now, though, it’s one step at a time. A decade-long Arrowhead curse is in the rearview mirror, and the Broncos are playing like a team that believes its best football is still ahead.