Broncos HC Sean Payton Issues Clear Notice After Win Over Texans
Posted November 3, 2025
Sean Payton was not pleased following the Denver Broncos’ win over the Houston Texans, and it could cost someone their job. However, it might not be who some think.
The Broncos had a field goal blocked and a muffed punt. Fortunately for the Broncos, the Texans were only able to convert those turnovers into 6 points. Still, Payton noted that the Broncos struggled in field positioning, too, again pointing to his special teams.
It all seemingly pointed to either a coaching or execution issue.
Sean Payton Sends ‘Damning’ Message on Broncos’ Special Teams
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on before a game against the
Payton met with the media after the hard-fought 18-15 victory. He noted the challenges of the Broncos being without All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II, the adjustments to Texans quarterback
C.J. Stroud exiting the game with a concussion, and the Broncos’ trench dominance.
But the team’s special teams snafus and the Texans’ effectiveness irked Payton.
Payton’s comments “fairly damning” of the Broncos’ special teams.
“We’ll look at that on film, all of that. Without watching it on tape, my concern was just the late subs. It was a little bit sloppy in the kicking game. We’ll get that cleaned up, or we’ll find someone else that can do it,”
“The thing that was troubling me a little bit was, we went into it wanting to play as much of the game on their side of the field. And I felt in the kicking game, we didn’t do enough to leverage the field position battle, and defensively, fortunately, we held up. So, if you really paid attention to the game, I felt like our drives were starting to the far right or left, and their drives were starting more towards midfield. And fortunately, our defense took care of that. “
However, Payton’s ire was not believed to be aimed at special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi.
Payton could be seen instructing Broncos kicker Wil Lutz to send the ball the “right through” the uprights, smirking as the player confirmed he received the message. Lutz drilled a 34-yarder to win the game for the Broncos.
Michael Bandy muffed the punt. However, Payton praised him after the game.
He filled in for injured All-Pro Marvin Mims. Mims suffered a concussion late in Week 8 against the
Payton may not have been talking about Rizzie on Sunday. The Broncos still have plenty of work to do in that phase, getting outgained 147 yards to 106 yards on kick and punt returns in Week 9.
Sean Payton: Monday All ‘About Recovery’
GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on against the Tennessee Titans.
Payton and the Broncos are on a short week. Their AFC West rivals, the
Las Vegas Raiders, are up next on the docket on “Thursday Night Football.” The coach wants his team to get as healthy as possible for that contest. Moreover, they are being proactive about it.
“Everything about tomorrow is recovery, walkthrough. We’ve learned a little bit more over the years,” Payton said, referencing his time with the Cowboys. “Whatever we did wasn’t right. I think we’ve learned a little bit more about the time from this game, and how we have to get these guys mentally and physically recovered from it. And then, fortunately, we’re playing at home.”
Unfortunately for Payton and the Broncos, they are unlikely to get Surtain back next week.
So, keeping their healthy players fresh is even more critical in his absence. They also escaped this contest without any further personnel losses, which is good news.
'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner Reveals Details of His Fiancée's Eiffel Tower-Inspired Engagement Ring, Magic Trick Proposal
Gerry Turner made sure his proposal to Lana Sutton was magical.
On the Tuesday, Oct. 28 episode of the
Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour podcast, the newly engaged couple revealed details about how they took their relationship to the next level.
The Golden Bachelor said he “had a basic idea” of what he and Sutton wanted when they went to their jeweler, but it was their love for travel that inspired the design for her diamond.
“We went to London and Paris, and I saw the Eiffel Tower. And it was spectacular that night. We woke up, you know, put those shades up, and there it was sparkling in front of us,” he said of their summer vacation together.
Turner shared photos of their Euro trip in a couple of Instagram carousels, detailing the U.K. portion in a July 7 post followed by a July 10 Paris recap.
During the podcast, he said after getting back and speaking with the jeweler again, he had one request: “I want the side of Lana's engagement ring to look like the Eiffel Tower.”
“I sat down with him. I said, ‘This is the design I really wanna have,’” Turner said, adding that it was complete “a couple weeks later.”
“They executed it perfectly,” he continued. Turner held onto the ring for “three [or] four weeks” while he decided how he wanted to propose.
Sutton said though they’d discussed it, she had no idea it was coming.
“I had no idea when he actually proposed that it was gonna happen then,” she said.
“We have taken a lot of trips. And so we had gone to Niagara Falls about a month or two ago. And that being the honeymoon capital, everybody thought, I think when we went, that was going to happen then,” Sutton said. “I didn't know when it was going to happen.”
They were on another vacation heading to Myrtle Beach, but stopped in Asheville to break up the drive when Turner proposed in their hotel room using solo cups and Post-it notes.
“He did like a little magic trick,” she said. “There were some questions that he kind of guessed my thoughts. And then there was another piece of paper that said, ‘Will you marry me?’”“I rehearsed the magic trick a half a dozen times,” Turner added. “I had two solo cups, and under one solo cup was the wedding ring.”
“When [Lana] guessed the correct answer, then the last Post-it note said, ‘Will you marry me?’”
Sutton said the moment was “emotional because there's a lot of feelings there.”
The couple, who shared the news on Oct. 3, said their wedding date hasn’t been finalized: “We really haven't talked about any plans yet. I think we're just sort of basking in the engagement and working out some details as far as his house.”
