CINCINNATI \u2014 There is no mildness to his method.<\/p>\n
Aggression defines Sean Payton.<\/p>\n
He craves touchdowns like Homer Simpson does Duff beer. He defended his end-of-first-half clock management against the Chargers with exclamation points. Run out the clock? No chance. He had 17 seconds to go 55 yards for a field goal. Made perfect sense to those who know him.<\/p>\n
Payton has changed the culture and posted a winning record. Saturday represents his Santa Claus game. If he delivers this one time in December, they might as well start commissioning his pillar for the Ring of Fame.<\/p>\n
The idea that a playoff berth hinges on the final two weeks speaks to the Broncos’ remarkable turnaround and the fragility of success. Payton needs to be in his bag Saturday. This game will be decided by offense. And Payton loves his play sheet, struggling to show patience, admitting in an ESPN interview in 2023 that \u201cI\u2019ll unwrap the present before Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone wants Payton to run, especially with Audric Estime emerging from hibernation. But it rarely works out that way. Payton loves passing more than the Greenbrier Resort<\/a>. And when you watch some of the route concepts he draws up and turns into scores for Nate Adkins, Adam Trautman and Troy Franklin, it is easy to understand why.<\/p>\n