Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton isn’t one to be bashful with his play calling, even with games seemingly in hand. And maybe there was still some New Orleans Saints blood in him when the Broncos took a 28-7 lead on the Carolina Panthers, a longtime rival for Payton in the NFC South, in the third quarter Sunday.
The Broncos attempted a fake field goal with about 10 minutes remaining in the game, but the try failed with holder Riley Dixon completing a 3-yard pass to tight end Lucas Kroll, ending up short of a first down. Then with 4:29 left in the fourth quarter, Payton called for a double pass with wide receiver Courtland Sutton completing the attempt to Troy Franklin for a 28-yard gain. That drive also ended in no points as Sutton fumbled the ball away at the Broncos’ 2.
Carolina tacked on a late touchdown giving Denver a 28-14 win, but the game ended with Panthers cornerback Jaycee Horn jawing at Payton, who coached Horn’s father, Joe, in New Orleans.
“I coached his father. So I was yelling back at him. I don’t know what the exchange was, but his father I enjoyed coaching,” Payton said in Sunday’s postgame news conference. “He was frustrated. I think he was yelling at one of our other players. I like him. I think he’s a good player.”
Sean Payton was confronted on the field postgame by Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, who said he was “trying to run the score up.”#9sports #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/PZMvHZk2dh
— 9NEWS Sports Denver (@9NEWSSports) October 27, 2024
Horn wasn’t in the locker room by the time the media entered after the game. But special teams captain Sam Franklin said the Panthers didn’t appreciate Payton’s fourth-quarter calls.
“We just felt like it was something that could have been avoided, like you shouldn’t have to try to run the score up even though you’re already winning,” Franklin said. “There’s five minutes left. You guys doing trick plays, still trying to score. Basically just trying to embarrass us.”
Payton also didn’t hold back when pointing to the state of the Panthers offense, led by 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young at quarterback.
“I said this, it’s not a good offense we played. It’s just the truth,” Payton said. “So we expected that, and we’re going to see a lot better teams.”
Required reading
- After Broncos rout Panthers, Sean Payton demands more: ‘We’re going to see better teams’
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(Photo: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)
