Sean Payton says Broncos found ‘a way to clean up our mess’ in stunning win

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton oversaw one of the craziest comebacks in NFL history on Sunday.

The Broncos were down 19-0 after three quarters to the New York Giants.

They were also down 26-8 and 32-30 in the final seconds. But Denver scored 33 points in the fourth quarter behind QB Bo Nix and the rest of the offense to pull out a stunning 33-32 victory. Kicker Wil Lutz nailed a field goal at the buzzer, and the Broncos are now 5-2 on the season.

After the game, Sean Payton was digesting it like the rest of us. On one hand, he was thrilled with the improbable comeback. On the other, he knows that was not good football for three quarters.

“Obviously, kind of a crazy back and forth game,” Payton said. “We struggled for, shoot, at least two-thirds of the game offensively. They hit some big plays on us defensively. I was proud we fought to get back in it. It’s like we had to find a way to clean up our mess,” Payton said.

Denver cleaned up its mess to the delight of those who remained at Empower Field at Mile High. On a day the organization honored the late, great Demaryius Thomas by putting him in the Ring of Fame there was some magic in the air.

Sean Payton wants his guys to soak it all in, while also knowing the Broncos still have a lot to work on.

“I told them, look, enjoy this. There’s some grit there, they didn’t quit. But it’s important we don’t let the euphoria of a win like that cloud the things that need to get cleaned up tomorrow,” Payton said.

For now, this goes down as one of the craziest wins in franchise history. But it sounds like the players will really only get a few hours to celebrate.

“They’ll enjoy it tonight but there’s a lot of things that we’re still doing, particularly offensively that trouble me. And we’ll get it fixed, we have to get it fixed,” Payton said.

That’s the mark of a good head coach. Sean Payton is rightfully happy the Broncos prevailed, but also already focused on making sure next Sunday is a cleaner product throughout the afternoon.

Related

As Broncos prepare for preseason test, there’s a key trend they hope sustainsHere’s when the Broncos will wear their throwback, navy-blue, orange and white jerseys in 2026Broncos reveal parking and tailgating plan for Burnham YardBo Nix won’t play in Broncos first preseason game, QB plan revealedBroncos list Jarrett Stidham as No. 2 QB on first depth chart of 2026 seasonBroncos 15th most valuable franchise in NFL, worth more than $9 billion