Sean Payton says the Denver Broncos first goal is to win the division.
Yes, his Broncos clinched the playoffs for a second straight year in their big win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
But the head coach isn’t taking a victory lap. Because, as he explained, none of the team’s three goals have been accomplished yet.
Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos goal is first to win the division
Most coaches talk about a team’s goals throughout the season, but the first time we heard Sean Payton’s team goals came after the signature win over the Packers.
“Yes, it’s nice to clinch a playoff berth,” Payton said after the signature win. “Goal one is try to go win your division. Goal two is try to get the best seed, and then goal
three is try to win a world championship. So we still haven’t really accomplished one, two or three. So remember one is win the
division. We’re still going.”
This is great leadership from Payton, who knows what it takes to run a successful franchise. And he knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl, as he brought New Orleans their first one in 2009.
An NFL season is only 17 games, but it’s a marathon from Training Camp in July through the Super Bowl in February. Good teams, like the Denver Broncos are currently at 12-2, can have a tendency to overlook teams they should beat. The Jets, the Raiders (twice) and others this year qualify as “trap games.”
But his quote about focusing on one goal at a time says a lot about how he prepares the team week-in and week-out. Consider the Broncos beat the Jets, Raiders (twice), and many other would-be trap games by one score, instead of the alternate, which would have been losing at least one of those games.
Now, that same mentality continues down this stretch run.
Obviously, the Broncos don’t want to lose any of the games. But, considering they’re already locked into the playoffs, a team could let up on the gas a bit and back their way into the postseason.
Payton won’t allow it.
First, they need to win the AFC West. It will be their first divisional crown since 2015, which is when the Broncos last won the Super Bowl. Then, they need to secure the highest seed possible. That should be the No. 1 overall, in what has become a special and even borderline magical season in the Mile High City. Then, the Super Bowl.
Getting that No. 1 seed would mean a first-round bye, then playing at home for two games before the Super Bowl. It’s a massive advantage to get that No. 1 spot, and Payton sees it within the Broncos’ reach.
This week, Denver (12-2) hosts Jacksonville (10-4) in yet another big-time matchup at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium. That game kicks off at 2:05 p.m. MT on Sunday, Dec. 21. Four days later the Broncos play the Chiefs in Arrowhead on Christmas Day, a team who’s already been eliminated from the playoffs and will be without injured Patrick Mahomes.
