Sean Payton is ‘anxious’ for real football, stresses fast start for Broncos

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton knows that he and his team have just one more weekend without real football.

And then, it’s go time.

The Broncos wrapped up their work for the week on Thursday and will now enjoy a few days off. Then, Labor Day will come and go, and the first game against the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 7 will be here before you know it.

Payton was asked about if he’ll get a few days away from football, but it sounds like he’s chomping at the bit for it to begin.

“This is that time where you’re anxious. You’re anxious to see what you have. And look, we need to start fast,” Payton said.

The Broncos went 1-5 in the first six games of the Sean Payton era in 2023. Last year, it was an 0-2 start before rebounding to go 10-7 and make the playoffs for the first time since 2015. For Payton, it’s all about getting out of the gate quicker and then playing consistently.

“What does that mean? We have a home opener, we go on the road, but focused on this game. We hadn’t done that the past two years and it’s hard to be one of those upper-echelon teams if you play yo-yo football. You lose a couple, you win three,” Payton said.

Essentially, Payton knows the best teams don’t have cold stretches. He wants the Broncos to avoid that throughout the 2025 season.

“At some point, any one of these teams that win 10 or more games, there’s that three wins in a row or four wins in a row. In ’09 we won 13 straight,” Payton said.

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Of course, Payton is referencing his 2009 Saints team that started 13-0 and eventually went on to win the Super Bowl.

That’s his stated goal this season, a championship which Sean Payton thinks the Broncos are capable of.

Buckle up, the journey begins in only 10 short days.