The Kansas City Chiefs are gearing up to host the Houston Texans this weekend in the divisional round. Meanwhile, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are in the early stages of their offseason. That didn't stop Payton from trying to stay relevant as the Chiefs' journey to a three-peat kicks off.
While giving his end-of-season press conference, Payton decided to take a shot at the Chiefs, or at least what he probably thought was a shot. "There's a lot of confidence in this team if we could get past [the wild card loss against the Bills], the next game we felt real good about."
Had the Broncos done their part and knocked off the Bills in the Wild Card round, they'd have been the team coming into Arrowhead this week. Apparently, Payton felt good about his team's chances in that one.
Sean Payton is trying to stay relevant in the offseason by taking silly shots at the Chiefs
Let's refresh here, shall we?
The Chiefs won the AFC's top seed after going 15-2 with their only real loss of the season coming against the Bills. Yes, they were blown out by the Broncos in Week 18 but the backups and third-stringers were playing for K.C. in that one and the main priority for the Chiefs was to exit the game without any injuries. Perhaps that 38-0 win for Payton made him think this Chiefs team wasn't very good.
When the two teams met up earlier in the season, the Chiefs won on a blocked field goal, which had to be beyond frustrating for Payton. The Broncos did play K.C. tough in that one but this team in the playoffs is a whole other animal and one that probably would have continued to frustrate Payton.
The fact of the matter is that the Chiefs are still alive while the Broncos are done for the season. Sure, it was the best year the Broncos had since 2015 when Peyton Manning was still their quarterback but until they came and take the crown from the Chiefs, Kansas City is still the team to beat in the division and in the entire NFL.
Payton is trying to make this a true rivalry again, something that it wasn't for the entirety of Patrick Mahomes' career, as he just suffered his first loss to them in the 2023 season. Chiefs fans definitely enjoyed the 16-game winning streak but it does appear that Payton is trying his best to make the Broncos relevant again.
Enjoy your offseason, Sean.