Jags talk trash, fire shots at Sean Payton after beating Broncos

A seemingly innocuous Sean Payton quote from the week became bulletin board material for the Jaguars, who touted it right back in the face of the Broncos

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Dec 21, 2025, 7:03 PM Updated: 10:21 pm

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DENVER — A seemingly true and innocuous Sean Payton statement from the week apparently became bulletin board material for the Jacksonville Jaguars, who touted their small-marketness in a 34-20 win over the Denver Broncos.

Both the players coming off the field and their head coach, Liam Coen, called back to a Wednesday quote from Payton, where the Broncos coach pointed out the Jags sucess despite the fact that they’re one of the five smallest media markets in the NFL. A fact. That quote was turned into motivation for Coen and his team, and it worked for a win against the hottest team in the league.

Here’s the full Payton quote from Wednesday

“I’d say this, I think they’ve won five or six in a row. [Jaguars RB Travis] Etienne [Jr.]… They’re doing a lot of things really well. They’re scoring. I look at the touchdown reel, and there are a ton of good schemes. [Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen] came up under [Rams Head Coach] Sean McVay, and so there are certain beliefs relative to what you’re going to get in the run and the pass game.”

“I think the one thing that stands out, they’re plus-10 in the turnover ratio. They’re second in the league in interceptions. I’m not going to say—they’ve played man-to-man—but there are a lot of snaps—like last week—where seven eyes are on the quarterback in their zone coverage. So we have to be on point. They mix it up defensively. They have a really, really talented punt returner. As you look at them and you watch the tape, it’s a smaller market, but you see a really good team.”

“Just a small market team,” Brenton Strange said to the Jags media team coming off the field. It ended a giant day where the tight end went for a impactful 39 yards on five catches, one of which went for a score.

“A small market team like us can come into Mile High and get it done,” Coen said.

"A small market team like us can come into Mile High and get it done."#JAXvsDEN pic.twitter.com/2V2i8UiKrO

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) December 22, 2025