Sean Payton finds out about Broncos “grit” as they sneak past Jets
Sep 29, 2024, 3:00 PM
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton led his team to an ugly 10-9 win against the New York Jets on Sunday.
But no one in the NFL should ever apologize for a victory.
In a game that was hard to watch at times, the Broncos did just enough in the second half to escape MetLife Stadium with a one-point victory.
And Denver hasn’t been home in the Mile High City for quite some time. The team beat the Buccaneers last Sunday then spent the week in West Virginia preparing for the Jets. It clearly worked, as the Broncos completed a 2-0 road trip that no one saw coming.
After the game, Payton was a bit dismissive of it being unusual to be on the road for nine days, but eventually opened up on the importance of it.
“It wasn’t an excursion, but this is something a lot of teams do. It was the first time you guys have been part of it, but this isn’t unusual. It makes a lot of sense,” Payton said.
Payton had been open about asking the NFL to give the Broncos back-to-back East Cost games this season, and that’s what they got. For Denver’s head coach, he knew the importance of this stretch after a frustrating 0-2 start.
“I felt like it had a chance to be a pivotal point in the season. We’re early in the season, but you find out a little bit about everyone, all of us. You find out a little bit about your grit and toughness,” Payton said.
And that grit and toughness led the Broncos to a win on a day when rookie QB Bo Nix had just 60 yards passing. Vance Joseph’s defense was once again excellent, sacking New York QB Aaron Rodgers fives times. They held the Jets without a touchdown.
For Payton, this taught him a lot about his football team.
“You’re going to go on the road and play Tampa. They’re 2-0 at the time. You’re going to play a Jet team that’s obviously playing good football. You go into some tough environments and you get on a plane tonight and you get back home at 2-2, that’s important” Payton said.
Getting back to .500 for the Broncos is huge. It wasn’t pretty, but it all counts the same. And this could be the road trip that saves Denver’s season.
