Sean Payton gets supportive texts, reminds “no one passed away”

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton took the podium on Wednesday in a reflective mood.

And he shared an important message.

Just because the Broncos were embarrassed last Sunday in Miami thanks to a 70-20 beatdown by the Dolphins, life still goes on.

Payton reminded himself and the team that after hearing from friends and family.

“Every one of us gets inundated with text messages of support. Often times, they’re people that care for you. And you read them sometimes and you’re like, man, this is what we do for a living. You know, no one passed away. We’ll get through it,” Payton said.

Payton brings up a great point. This is football, not life, and there are a lot more important things that he, his players and coaches are probably dealing with on a day-to-day basis. Still, their job is to win, and that’s the mindset going into Chicago this weekend.

“Periodically you get one or two (texts) that are just special and so every one of these guys is the same way. You’ve got to work your way out of this. And it starts with getting the first win. The next week can’t come quick enough and I think that’s where we’re at,” Payton said.

Luckily, the Bears are also a mess on the field. They’re 0-3 just like Denver, and are coming off a 41-10 beatdown at the hands of the Chiefs. They’ve lost all of their games by at least 10 points. That’s a far cry from the Broncos, who are a play or two away from being 2-1 with wins over the Raiders and Commanders.

As for what a victory would mean to Payton and the team?

“For us, it would mean a lot, then I could answer the fun questions,” Payton said with a laugh. “We need a win, and Chicago does too.”

A win can cure a lot of things, but no matter the final score, it still is just a football game. And Payton put that into perspective on Wednesday.

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