Sean Payton compares NFL to UFC, Broncos have “to get back up”
Nov 6, 2024, 3:07 PM
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows his team got punched in the mouth last week by the Baltimore Ravens.
Now, he’s ready to see how they respond.
Denver returned to practice on Wednesday, and the challenge gets no easier this Sunday with a trip to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on deck.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Chris Jones are back-to-back Super Bowl champions and undefeated this season. At a perfect 8-0, the entire league is chasing the Chiefs.
And the Broncos are a little battered and bruised after the 41-10 beatdown by the Ravens, causing Payton to use an interesting analogy.
“There’s a little bit of UFC to our league. Each week, I don’t care who you’re playing, if you’re not careful you can catch one in the chin, but you’ve got to get back up. And you’ve got to get back to work. That gets back to the mental toughness, the grit, all the things that we’re looking for,” Payton said.
Denver will need to show that grit against Kansas City this weekend, and wash away what happened against Baltimore. The Chiefs have eight victories, but have won six games by seven points or fewer. Mahomes always finds a way to pull out tight games.
“It’s the heart of a champion. They’ve been in a lot of closer games this year, they’ve had some injuries like all of us. They’re playing really, really good on defense,” Payton said.
Payton knows this is a challenge for the Broncos, but does feel like they’re prepared to give it their best shot.
“We’ve got a ton of tape, obviously a divisional opponent on the road. We’ve going to have to have a good week and we’re going to have to play well,” Payton said.
Play well might be an understatement. The Broncos might have to play perfect to win and hand the Chiefs their first loss. But how they get up off the mat, regardless of the outcome, will be important to the vibe around the season the rest of the way.
