DENVER BRONCOS

Was the Broncos’ 2024 season a success? Sean Payton doesn’t quite say

Jan 15, 2025, 3:13 PM | Updated: Jan 16, 2025, 7:12 am

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The 2024 Denver Broncos did things no Broncos team had accomplished in nine years.

They returned to the playoffs, won double-digit games, and had two separate winning streaks of at least three games apiece. They were able to sustain momentum while overcoming adversity. Their longest winning streak immediately followed their most emotionally-crushing loss in at least a decade.

So, in a league in which only one of 32 sides ends the campaign happy, was it a success?

Broncos players on Monday didn’t specifically use that word, although they offered an encouraging tone regarding the progress made.

And neither did Sean Payton when the question arose early in his 22-minute question-and-answer session with Denver-area media in the atrium of Broncos Park Powered By CommonSpirit.

“Look, I think you can define success in so many different ways,” he said. “Was it a team I was proud of and we were proud of? Yes. These guys fought. They came together. Like most teams in our league, hit stretches of adversity, bounced back. So there were a lot of positives to build on.

“And yet it still was disappointing to finish the way we did. I didn’t think we played up to our potential in the last game.”

How that 31-7 defeat to Buffalo devolved remained fresh in Payton’s mind as he answered questions, and he noted that for a while, he didn’t discern a gulf between his team and the Bills — at least not early in a contest that was a missed Wil Lutz 50-yard field-goal attempt away from being deadlocked at halftime.

“I didn’t see a gap last weekend until the second half and then you see a gap because you’re losing,” Payton said. “But I felt real confident we’d go in there and play well and win.

“We obviously didn’t play well enough, but those lines are much finer than we think.”

What was clear for Payton was how different the end of this campaign felt to the one 12 months ago, an 8-9 trip through the emotional wringer.

“Obviously, we’re still not there yet. And yet we’re a lot closer than we were at this time a year ago,” Payton said. “That was misery, sorrow, drudgery. Give me some other adjectives there. Just — ah, that was brutal. Let’s say that.”

Which is far better than bemoaning a “disappointing” performance in a playoff loss. That alone reveals the progress made by Payton’s team, which may not be officially a “success,” but certainly ensures that the bitter taste from Sunday won’t linger long.

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