Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was not apologizing to the Carolina Panthers a day after some accused him of running up the score in a 28-14 win.
The Broncos ran a fake field goal while up 28-7 in the fourth quarter, and later ran a trick play on 4th down to convert and keep the drive alive. The game was out of reach for the Panthers at that point, and Payton was actually confronted on the field after the game by one Panthers player who felt that the Broncos were rubbing it in.
Payton was not feeling apologetic on Monday. He said the Broncos’ goal was to “finish,” and advised the Panthers to “play better” if they didn’t like it.
“Listen, I said it [Sunday] night; we’re trying to finish the game the right way,” Payton said, via Jeff Legwold of ESPN. “We’re not trying to run up the score on anyone. It’s the National Football League. I’ve been in games with a 28-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost, so we’re trying to finish. … Play better.”
The message is unlikely to land with the Panthers, but Payton has a point about his own ambitions. He is trying to turn the Broncos into a consistent winner, and with a 5-3 record, there is some evidence that his methods are working. The fake may have been a bit much, but he seemingly had his own set of goals here.
Things get tough for Denver going forward, with back-to-back road games against the Ravens and Chiefs. Payton really wanted this win locked down with that coming up.
