The Denver Broncos would like to turn their recent history around and put together a winning team that finds a way to get into the playoffs. One thing that head coach Sean Payton knows that he needs to see for that to happen is improved quarterback play.
The head coach offered up his plans for the position in the first two games of the preseason. When the Broncos open up their summer schedule at Indianapolis Sunday, Jarrett Stidham will get the start. The following week the Broncos will host the Green Bay Packers and rookie quarterback Bo Nix will get the starting assignment.
Stidham had an opportunity to play late last season after Payton benched starting quarterback Russell Wilson and sent the message that the veteran quarterback no longer fit into the Broncos' plans. Stidham completed 40 of 66 passes for 496 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Payton is expected to push his team hard in preseason games and find a way to come up with victories. Some coaches don't care about their preseason won-lost records, but the Broncos head coach wants to win games. In addition to creating a positive atmosphere, it helps him pick the best players who can make the team. “Obviously the most important thing is the 53-man cut and getting that right,” Payton said.
Payton is starting his second season with the Broncos, and the team showed some improvement in 2023 with an 8-9 record. The Broncos have failed to make the playoffs for eight consecutive seasons, and the team is hungry to get back to the postseason.
Broncos getting pushed hard in the summer
Payton coached the New Orleans Saints from 2006 through 2021. He led the Saints to a 152-89-0 record and the team made the playoffs nine times and won the Super Bowl once. He had just four losing seasons in his 15 years with the Saints and he never had a worse record than 7-9.
Payton believes winning is clearly a habit that can be developed and that's one of the reasons that he pushes his players hard to be victorious in the preseason. There is an urgency to get off to a fast start in 2024.
“When we pulled up the playoff teams from last year, we just looked at where they were after the first five games,” Payton said. “There might have been one team at 2-3. The rest were in the winning category. When we talk about a fast start, that can be kind of vague, but it’s something we’ve spent a lot of time on and not a little bit of time.”
The Broncos open the season on the road against Seattle followed by a home game against the Steelers. Back-to-back road games follow against Tampa Bay and the New York Jets followed by a home against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Payton would like to see his team come out of that five-game stretch with a winning record.
Follow Us
Subscribe