Russell Wilson Explains How Sean Payton Turned Broncos Around

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The Denver Broncos’ vulnerable underbelly was brutally exposed as the team fell into an early 1-5 hole to open this season. The dreaded accusation that the Broncos were a ‘soft’ team was asserted by fans and analysts alike.

Fighting back into competitive relevance was the only way Denver could vanquish such tropes. Three consecutive wins have revealed that the Broncos have finally shed that soft layer of skin and have proudly adorned a tough coating of war armor.

Sean Payton’s cultural renaissance in Denver is in full effect. Wins born out of adversity, especially on the road, almost count for double when it comes to increasing the Broncos’ burgeoning confidence.

Previous Broncos’ regimes wouldn’t have been able to overcome the pressure and adversity that the 2023 squad has, but as Russell Wilson suggested following the Broncos’ 24-22 upset win over the Buffalo Bills, Payton’s impact on his team’s confidence and resilience has been the difference-maker.

“I think Coach Payton has done a great job of changing this culture and really impacting us as players,” Wilson said on Monday night. “The whole coaching staff has been amazing. we’re in this thing together. We believe in us, and I know Broncos Country believes in us, too.”

Inside linebacker Alex Singleton has become a poster boy for Payton’s new team identity — one where playing tough is a matter of great pride.

“You’ve got to be willing to sacrifice your body and I could guarantee I’m willing to throw my body into any pile before he ever does,” Singleton said of his key fumble recovery in Buffalo via The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson.

Singleton’s pointed barb was directed towards Bills Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who the linebacker beat to a fumble recovery. Singleton’s message to Diggs also serves notice that the days of the Broncos not barking back at their opponents are over.

Going into a team’s backyard and emerging with a crucial win against the odds takes more than precision execution, and, as team captain Justin Simmons referenced post-game, it also takes swagger.

“Call a spade a spade; we haven’t won here in the last few years, so it’s easy to come here and say, ‘Oh, yeah, we’re finding ways to win,’ but, honestly, it’s just playing smart and then really good football when you need to,” Simmons said via Denver Sports’ Andrew Mason.

Developing a winning culture begins in the meeting rooms and practice fields during training camp and is then fully forged in the crucible of battle. Payton had frequently referenced how his team needed to learn how to win, and the more guys like Simmons and Singleton speak, it’s becoming easy to see that re-education coming to fruition.

Denver’s new brand of physical, intense football is evidenced by the defense taking the ball away from the Bills four times on Monday night, giving the Broncos a whopping nine takeaways over the past two games against Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, respectively.

It’s also been showcased by the manner in which Broncos’ right guard Quinn Meinerz is tossing linebackers out of the way and moving men against their will to blast open holes for running back Javonte Williams.

‘Belief’ is a mantra that is now frequently used in the Broncos’ locker room, but without Wilson simply refusing to lose, it would remain an empty buzzword. Wilson is setting the tone with his buccaneering style of play, which has incorporated shovel passes to keep drives alive and audacious touchdown passes made on the run.

The national media would have you believe that Wilson’s purportedly candy-floss style of leadership has failed to resonate with his teammates, but recent evidence strongly suggests otherwise. When Payton took the job in Denver, he believed the pieces were there to create a winning product on the field, including Wilson, but it would require a full buy-in to get things off the ground, which was complicated by the Broncos’ ugly start to the season.

“When you talk about culture or environment relative to a team sport, it starts with the ingredients,” Payton said on Tuesday. “I felt like, for the most part, we had guys that there was a high buy-in factor as to what we were doing. Was there frustration or disappointment? Sure. But you have to have energy when you practice. You have to be able to look closely and say, ‘Hey, these are the things that are hurting us.’ And then you have to have honest conversations when you’re correcting, and honest conversations regarding the approach relative to us teaching.”

It started with that comeback win chicago in Week 4, according to Payton. That win, and the manner in which the Broncos achieved it, helped give the team precious confidence. Suffice to say, that confidence is now in full bloom in the wake of three straight wins, two of which have come against a pair of AFC darlings.

“Obviously, and you’ve heard me say this before, that confidence is only born out of demonstrated ability,” Payton said. “You can’t say, ‘I’m confident,’ or, ‘I want to be confident.’ You have to achieve something, and then there’s confidence in that you can do it again. It’s finding the right group of players and then you have to roll up your sleeves a little bit in this league.”