Sean Payton’s trash talk appears to already be in midseason form.
Payton’s Denver Broncos took on the Atlanta Falcons on Friday in their preseason opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga. The first half was all Broncos, much to the delight of Denver’s head coach.
Atlanta’s offense failed to score in the opening two quarters. What was shaping up to be the team’s best drive resulted in a 98-yard pick-6.
.@Broncos 98-YARD PICK-6 😱
— NFL (@NFL) August 15, 2026
Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/CySM9DqSEG
With the Broncos leading 24-0 at halftime, Payton was pulled aside for an interview.
Reporter: “Coach, thank you. We know you win here in Atlanta, and it looks like you’re going to continue that trend.”
Payton: “A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today.”
“A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today.”
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 15, 2026
Sean Payton (still) has no love for the #Falcons. pic.twitter.com/KipI1wNJyG
In all fairness to Falcons fans, Friday’s clash was just a preseason game, which was always going to be very unlikely to sell out. But that didn’t stop Payton from rubbing the lopsided halftime score in everyone’s faces.
The Falcons were unable to mount the comeback that could have made Payton regret his words. The home team’s lone scoring drive was a third-quarter touchdown in a 24-7 loss to the Broncos.
Payton, who coached the Falcons’ division-rival New Orleans Saints for 15 seasons, has a lifetime record of 22-9 against Atlanta in his NFL head coaching career.
Friday’s contest was far from the first time Payton trolled the Falcons. Even if Payton no longer coaches in the NFC South as he used to, it probably won’t be the last.
