Payton achieves a rare coaching feat, joining Belichick in an exclusive NFL club with multiple 13-win seasons.
The Denver Broncos just barely survived on Christmas Day against the depleted Kansas City Chiefs with a 20-13 win at Arrowhead Stadium.
Sure there are concerns after another close game, especially with the Chiefs missing a lot of key players and the Broncos having a lot to play for with the AFC No. 1 seed still in their grasp.
But, it's a win.
In fact, Broncos head coach Sean Payton joined legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick in an exclusive NFL club.
"Sean Payton joins Bill Belichick as the only coaches in NFL history to win 13+ games in at least 5 seasons," the NFL Plus account posted on X.
With the Broncos now at 13-3 with one game left on the year, it is an impressive milestone for Payton.
Payton spent 15 seasons as the New Orleans Saints coach from 2006 until 2021 before coming to the Broncos.
He went 13-3 in 2009, the same year the Saints won the Super Bowl, and also recorded 13 or more wins in 2011, 2018 and 2019 as the Saints coach.
In 2023, his first year in Denver, the Broncos went 8-9 but they finished 10-7 a year ago and now are right on the cusp of a top seed in the AFC.
Payton was nothing but humble after joining Belichick on that list, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“I have been fortunate to have been on and coached a lot of great players," Payton said. "There is nothing like winning. When I heard that, I had trouble figuring out which were the 13-win teams. We had some other teams that were 12- or 11-win teams. I have been fortunate to have really good players and real good coaches. Some of them who are right here that have been a part of all of those wins, part of those wins. Obviously, Bill is good company. Let’s keep it going.”
Now, Belichick has seven such seasons with 13 or more wins, but he is an outlier and arguably the greatest NFL head coach of all time.
Right now, the Broncos are red-hot and have lost just one game since September 22, and Payton has this team viewed as a legitimate AFC contender.
In Week 18, the Broncos face the Los Angeles Chargers, who beat them in LA on September 21, and there is a chance that this game could decide the AFC West winner.