If the Sean Payton Show doesn’t bring a whole bunch of wins and postseason success, his obnoxious act will get real tired real soon.
The Detroit Lions smacked around the Broncos in a 42-17 blowout Saturday at Ford Field. The Lions are 10-4 and talented enough to reach the NFC title game, so the loss is no big surprise.
The Broncos are 7-7 and now must sweep the Patriots, Chargers and Raiders to stay in the playoff hunt. And if they don’t? Well, Payton will have an offseason to find someone else to blame.
It was Payton’s misbehavior on the sideline and mismanagement of his red challenge flags that were the embarrassment. Payton acted a fool on national television, first failing to drop a challenge flag on a pair of would-be touchdowns, then by ripping into Russell Wilson, a grown man in his 12th professional season, as if Russ were 16 years old and broke Mom and Dad’s curfew.
Project much, Sean?
“What I talk with Russell about is none of your business,” Payton told reporters afterward.
The Lions scored touchdowns on five consecutive possessions. The Broncos scored only six touchdowns in the whole month of November. Detroit’s better than Denver at quarterback, running back, tight end and wide receiver, and that's only the skill positions. Plus, the Lions are a fantastic operation to watch.
Saturday night in fired-up Detroit was always going to be a tough draw for the Broncos.
The real disappointment was how the Broncos’ $90 million coach projected all over the loss.
What happened? Well, Jaleel McLaughlin appeared to cross the goal line with the ball. No red challenge flag. Then Javonte Williams appeared to cross the goal line with the ball. No red challenge flag. Instead of making it a two-score game with a full quarter left to play, the Broncos slunk away with a field goal and no chance of overcoming the high-scoring Lions.
“Honestly, I thought Javonte may have been in on that first one and Jaleel, too,” Wilson said.
Payton’s reaction? Scream at Russ with the NFL Network cameras zooming into the exchange.
Payton claimed he was “frustrated” at an offsides call on offensive lineman Quinn Meinerz. The penalty flag negated a touchdown run by fullback Michael Burton. Instead of a fourth-and-goal at the 1-yard line, the penalty pushed the Broncos back to the 6. They kicked a field goal.
“I was upset at the call,” Payton said of the exchange with Wilson.
Hey, I’m all for old-school coaching that holds athletes accountable. And Payton is a diehard Bill Parcells disciple who’s ready to remind you he’s tight with “Bill” in every other interview.
But that kind of screaming and shouting can’t happen right after the coach himself blew it.
As for the challenge flags that never flew, Payton said, “When you start challenging spots, it becomes difficult.”
The Broncos lost because they couldn’t stop the Lions, whose 42 points were the most dropped on Denver’s "D" since the Dolphins put up 70 back in September. Shoot, the Lions rolled up 29 first downs, only one fewer than the Dolphins in that game.
Beware Bill Belichick and the Patriots next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.
But here’s why I think Payton has been wound tighter than a Titleist ever since he popped off to a USA Today reporter during training camp. Upon arriving at Broncos HQ, he found a situation that was even messier than he had expected. Other than Courtland Sutton and his 10 touchdowns, where are the playmakers? The Lions had more at every skill position. Getting the Broncos back to .500 and in the AFC playoff hunt is a serious feather in Payton’s cap.
But shouting down a future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback immediately after making your own mistake was a bad look all around.
Accountability goes both ways.
“Certainly as coaches, it starts with us. We’ve got to be better,” Payton allowed. "We’ve got to be able to shake it pretty soon here and be ready to play New England.”
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