Sean Payton thinks the Broncos would've beaten the Chiefs in his imagination

The first round of the 2024 NFL playoffs saw a lot of lopsided results. Five of the six contests were decided by 12 or more points. The most lopsided of those games took place in Orchard Park, where the Broncos jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead, then gave up the final 31 points of the afternoon. Denver still hasn’t won a playoff game since defeating the Carolina Panthers, 24-10, in Super Bowl 50.

Still, it was a season of progress in the Mile High City. The club reached the postseason for the first time since 2015, and came up with its first winning campaign since ’16. Sean Payton appeared optimistic despite the 31-7 setback.

“I’m telling you what,” said the Broncos’ sideline leader (via Will Petersen of DenverSports.com). “I didn’t see a gap last weekend until the second half, and then you see a gap because you’re losing. But I felt real confident we could go in there and play well and win. We obviously didn’t play well enough.”

Sean Payton was looking forward to a third meeting with the Chiefs

If the Broncos had managed to pull off the upset, it would have set up a meeting with the top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional playoffs. In Week 10 at Arrowhead Stadium, Denver was on the brink of handing the reigning Super Bowl champions there first loss of the season. Wil Lutz had a 35-yard field goal blocked on the final play of the game and the Broncos fell short, 16-14.

In the regular-season finale, Andy Reid’s team sat its share of starters, and Denver clinched a playoff berth with a 38-0 victory. Payton obviously felt good about a third clash with the Chiefs had his club survived the Bills.

“We’re not looking backwards, we’re looking ahead, and it starts with the division. There’s a lot of confidence in this team. If we could get past that game, the next game we had to play, we felt real good about.”

The Broncos were an improved football team in 2024, and Payton apparently has this team on the right track. “Obviously, we’re still not there yet, and yet we’re a lot closer than we were at this time a year ago…”

Then again, the club’s play on defense down the stretch, including the loss to the Bills, raised some serious doubts when it came to facing the better teams in the conference. Denver allowed 30-plus points in four of their last six outings, and dropped three of their final contests overall. Quarterback Bo Nix had a tremendous rookie season, but there’s obviously still some work to do in the Mile High City.