Sean Payton off to worse start than beleaguered predecessor after historic loss

Earlier this offseason, Payton mocked Hackett, saying his one season as HC was "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." 

Those comments may haunt him since he's been ridiculed after his team surrendered the most points in a game since Washington scored 72 against the Giants in 1966.

"Speaking of swipes, we'll save the biggest for the head coach himself," wrote Matt Schubert of The Denver Post. "Say what you will about Nathaniel Hackett, but at least he waited until Week 16 to submit a total dud. It took Payton three weeks. And this was an all-timer."

Furthermore, Denver won two of its first three games under Hackett, while Payton is off to an auspicious 0-3 start. And he's already at risk of losing the locker room since players seemed deflated after the blowout.

"I'm tired of losing, man," Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles said following the defeat, via Scotty Gange of KUSA-TV in Denver. "I've been here for seven years, and all I've done is lost. It's frustrating."

It's unlikely the Broncos will rebound from the defeat. Since 1990, only four of 158 teams who have started 0-3 have made the playoffs, per NFL Research.

"The [Dolphins and Broncos] aren't in the same area code, and there is no shortcut to the playoffs, a destination the Broncos appear sure to fall short of for an eight straight season," wrote Nick Kosmider of The Athletic.

Still, Denver must improve rapidly under Payton. Otherwise, he will join his predecessor, piloting a seventh consecutive losing season that ranks among the most embarrassing in franchise history.