Sean Payton did not want to make Sunday’s game against Kansas City bigger than it is, but he did not play it down either. “Look, everyone understands it’s a divisional game,” the Broncos head coach said on Friday, in his last press conference of the week. “I know who we play this week, next week, and then there’s a bye, and then after that. But it’s a divisional game, and those are important.”
The 5-2 Broncos host the 5-1 Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High, and a win would move Denver into first place in the AFC West and give it a fourth win in a row. Kansas City won the first meeting in Week 1, when Kenneth Walker ran for 173 yards and the Broncos scored a season-low 10 points.
Why he stopped splitting the season into quarters
Several Broncos players had said this week that this is a big game but that they plan to play in bigger ones. Payton agreed, and said the team does not break the schedule into blocks. When he was asked why he stopped putting the season into quarters, he said he never liked the idea. “I didn’t like the idea of saying, all right, we’re going to finish three and one in each quarter,” he said. “Like, what if we want to win 14 in a row? You know what I mean? So that’s probably one of the reasons.”
Three running backs, and no status on RJ Harvey
Payton was asked whether he is managing J.K. Dobbins’ workload each week. He said a three-back room is harder to balance than two. “It’s much easier with two to get the balance,” he said. “He’s doing well. It’s a deep room, and I like the way they’re playing in general.” He added that the team’s tracking data still shows Dobbins’ burst and speed at a high level. “There’s certain times when you look at this analytical data we have now that you can see burst and speed,” he said. “So we like the depth there.”
Asked about RJ Harvey, Payton said only: “No status right now.” A day later the Broncos placed Harvey on injured reserve with a knee injury, which means he must miss at least the next four games. They also moved safety Taylor Rapp up from the practice squad and elevated running back Cody Schrader and offensive lineman Gavin Ortega for Sunday.
Payton said there is “a little bit” of a hot-hand approach during games, and that it is easier to do that at running back than with receivers. He said he talks “a lot” with players about touches, because there is only one ball. “When you’re installing plays, there’s these targets that they see in the plan,” he said. “And then even after the game, there are times where maybe a certain player didn’t get some of the looks that we were hoping, but you’re always paying attention to that.”
The red zone starts with the run
The Broncos have been one of the best red-zone defenses in the league for several years, and the team said this week they held the Chiefs to 1-of-7 in the red zone in their last two home wins over Patrick Mahomes. Payton said there is no secret. “I think the first thing is you have to be able to stop the run,” he said. “Most teams that are playing well offensively in the red zone have a little bit more efficiency in the run game. And then I think what’s really important is that four-point play. When you get to a third down in the red zone, understanding if you can get off the field, that’s a big deal.”
Stopping Walker is the main job on Sunday. Payton said defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s message all week was about getting to the ball. “The big point Vance made all week was, man, our pursuit to the ball, hats to the ball,” Payton said. He pointed to the Seahawks, who held Walker to 36 yards on 14 carries in Week 7. “Seattle did a good job of populating the football against a really good runner and a really good run offense,” he said. “I know he feels like we can do a better job compared to Week 1.” He said he does not need to say much about that opener. “These guys are grown men,” he said. “They recognize the things we didn’t do well, offensively, defensively.”
Why jumbo
The Broncos used their jumbo package more than usual in last week’s 30-point win over Arizona. Payton said it is a way to make sure the defense stays in the look he wants. “Let’s say there’s a play you like against their base defense,” he said. “Well, you want to make sure you get their base defense, and one way to do that is to put the jumbo in.” He said defenses can now play a sub package against almost anything. “If we’re going to put a game plan together, and let’s say we’re going to discuss six runs that we want against their base defense, I’ll always say, ‘Well, how do we make sure we get it?’” he said. “Last week was one of those games where there were certain things we wanted to do against the base, and we wanted to ensure that we were getting that.”
Wil Lutz and “pay attention”
Payton was asked about kicker Wil Lutz, who has been with him for 10 of his 11 NFL seasons. Earlier in the week, Payton said, guard Ben Powers turned 30, and he asked the room to count up playoff experience, starting with Powers at six years and going up through the veterans. “And then it kept climbing up, and Lutz was at 10,” he said. “He’s made a lot of big kicks. Some of those big moments, having been in that position, that matters.”
He also told the story of how Lutz got to New Orleans in 2016. The Saints had two kickers fighting for the job in training camp, with every kick reported each day. After the final cuts, John Harbaugh recommended Lutz, the Saints worked him out, signed him and released both other kickers. Payton said it is a lesson for every player. “Often times guys lock in on their depth chart,” he said. “What they don’t understand is they’re competing against everyone in the league at that position.”
What he saw in Patrick Mahomes
Payton has said before that he liked Patrick Mahomes before the 2017 draft, when the Chiefs took him 10th, one pick before Payton’s Saints chose cornerback Marshon Lattimore. Asked if he knew Mahomes would become this player, he said no one can know that. “If I felt this was going to be the end product, we would have gotten to one, whatever it took, right?” he said. He said Lattimore was in the same group of players on the Saints’ board. “If you pick 11, you have to like 11 players,” he said. “You can’t just say we’re going to trade back. What if no one wants to do that?”
He remembered what stood out on the college film and at a private workout. “He was extremely smart, all the stuff, the testing. He had a real good arm, tough place to throw,” Payton said. “It’s like playing golf in Texas. Those guys all learn to flight their balls into the wind, and he had real good arm strength. You saw all the arm angles. And man, his football intellect. We had one of these private days, and it was exceptional. Each thing you’re looking for was just remarkably high.”
Payton also said he has two blank years in his draft memory: 2012, when he was suspended and missed the draft meetings, and 2022, when he was out of coaching. He mentioned that the 2022 class includes “the tight end we just played,” and he said he has long studied Andy Reid’s Chiefs for ideas, from their touchdown reel to their short-yardage plays. “They’ve been very creative,” he said.
Sunday’s injury report
Cornerback Pat Surtain II was a full participant all week and has no game status, so he is expected to return from the ankle injury he suffered against San Francisco in Week 4. Defensive lineman Zach Allen (hamstring), tackle Garett Bolles (hip), safety Brandon Jones (hamstring) and receiver Jaylen Waddle (chest) are questionable. Harvey and safety Talanoa Hufanga (ankle) are out.
The Broncos host the Chiefs on Sunday, November 1, at 2:25 p.m. MT, which is 4:25 p.m. ET and 11:25 p.m. in Cairo.
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