After trading a first-round draft pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for the rights to head coach Sean Payton, the Denver Broncos have started 1-4 under their new coach.
The team’s bleak outlook won’t get any better this week as the Broncos are set to face the 4-1 Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football in Week 6. If Denver loses that game — the Broncos are considered big underdogs — Payton will be 1-5 through his first six games in charge.
A 1-5 record would tie the worst start in franchise history. So it’s fair to say the Payton era is off to a disastrous start. Making things even more embarrassing for Broncos fans is the fact that Denver keeps losing to its former coaches, as our friend Brandon Perna pointed out on Twitter/X.
In Week 1, the Broncos lost to the Las Vegas Raiders 17-16. The Raiders, of course, are coached by ex-Denver head coach Josh McDaniels (2009-2010).
In Week 2, the Broncos lost to the Washington Commanders 35-33. Washington’s defense is coached by ex-Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio (2012-2014).
In Week 3, the Broncos were blown out 70-20 by the Miami Dolphins, whose defense is coached by ex-Denver head coach Vic Fangio (2019-2021). Miami’s head coach, Mike McDaniel, served as a ball boy for the Broncos growing up, and he got his NFL start as an intern with the team in 2005. Unfortunately, Denver didn’t bother to interview him when they had a head coach opening last year. Oof.
In Week 5, the Broncos lost 31-21 to the New York Jets and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, who served as Denver’s head coach last season. That loss might have been the most painful.
And just to put a cherry on top, the Broncos’ defense is coached by Vance Joseph, who served as the team’s head coach from 2017-2018. Denver’s defense is on pace to turn in one of the worst seasons in NFL history.
The Broncos picked the wrong ex to reunite with this offseason.