The Broncos got a cleaner response than a lot of teams might have after a week dominated by questions about a playcaller switch, and Sean Payton came away impressed with the way his group handled it.
Payton said the offense stayed together through a tricky stretch and credited the players for sorting through the noise. “I think those guys compartmentalized it pretty well.
I met with the offense, but we didn’t have a big team meeting. But (Webb) had a good week considering, and it’s difficult.
It’s really difficult and I appreciate him. He’ll look back at some point, and I’ve said this, ‘we’re all a little bit out of whack, relative to our profession.”
(Mike Klis)
He stopped short of breaking down Bo Nix’s first five games in detail, but he did admit the operation has a long way to go. “there’s a ton of things we’re not doing well.” (Chris Tomasson)
Payton also downplayed the idea that J.K. Dobbins’ heavier workload in Week 5 came from him taking over offensive playcalling. Troy Renck reported that Dobbins implied as much, but Payton said the game just unfolded that way.
Out in Los Angeles, Jim Harbaugh is staring at a much harsher picture. The Chargers are 0-5 and need to knock off the Chiefs just to avoid entering their bye at 0-6, and Harbaugh has been openly searching for answers while carrying the frustration of a rough start.
“I can’t think of a time where I’ve been more mad at myself,” Harbaugh said, via Anthony Gharib of ESPN. “This team works so hard, played so valiantly.
And yeah, I take 100% accountability for making that decision and turned the momentum of the game. So it was the wrong one, and I got to be right on those.”
He doubled down on that self-critique moments later. “Really, right now the only thing I can think of is I screwed that up; that’s really the only thing going through my mind,” Harbaugh added.
“Because the playmaking, the stops, the momentum was in our favor. And yeah, wrong decision.
Both of them. When they don’t work, that’s my accountability…Yeah, I don’t know what that message is.
The players just fight their hearts out, play, give it everything they have. That’s the only way, that’s the best way.”
For the Raiders, the biggest note was a first taste of NFL action for Fernando Mendoza. The quarterback entered late in the blowout loss to the Patriots and finished 6-of-8 for 48 yards in his debut.
He also couldn’t pick up a first down on his first career run, but the moment still mattered to him. Head coach Klint Kubiak is sticking with the current starter, so there’s no change coming under center.
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Vinatieri used the occasion to look back on those matchups, including the Patriots championship run, while also tying New Englands long stretch of success to Tom Brady. For Las Vegas fans already bracing through the frustrations of a difficult season and still adjusting to Bradys presence in the ownership picture, it was the kind of celebration that reopened an old wound instead of closing it. [Read more 🡒]