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Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid shakes hands with Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Sean Payton’s Vision Skips Chiefs, Goes Right to Super Bowl

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Aug 6, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Sean Payton said this week his vision for the Broncos isn’t simply ending the Chiefs’ nine-year string of AFC West titles.

“The short-term goal is winning the division,” Denver’s head coach told Charles Robinson at Broncos training camp. “But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I’ve coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some to the playoffs.

“This is my seventh team that I think has that.”

If not for Leo Chenal’s big right paw on a 35-yard Wil Lutz attempt, Denver would’ve upset the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 10 last year. The Broncos rebounded to earn their first playoff berth since they won the Super Bowl in 2015, but the quarterbacks Denver defeated weren’t exactly a murderer’s row. And until they beat Kansas City 38-0 in a meaningless Week 18 finale, the Broncos were 1-5 against teams that made the playoffs.

Jennings makes interesting comparison

Greg Jennings helped the Packers win a Super Bowl in 2010 and played in 10 postseason games over an impressive 10-year NFL career. The former wide receiver, who transitioned from Green Bay to NFC North rival Minnesota in 2013, shared his perspective on Payton’s comments with regard to the Chiefs.

“I went to the Minnesota Vikings and do you know what I heard initially? Beat the Packers,” Jennings said Monday on FS1’s First Things First. “I didn't want to hear that. Because that allowed me to be of the mindset that, ‘Wait, is that the standard? Is that what we're trying to do, beat the Packers?’ That's a given. And so, what Sean Payton is doing, he's setting the table.

“He understands there's a big red giant that's in the division. We all know that. I don't need to say we got to beat the Chiefs. We know we got to beat the Chiefs. But in order to beat the Chiefs, we need to win the, forget beating the Chiefs, just let's win the division. That has to be the primary focus, and so you set the stage, you set the bar. You made the postseason last year, you don't want to go in reverse.”

Broncos have uphill climb to say the least

Going in reverse could be devastating. That big red giant is a gargantuan 17-5 in the playoffs since the Broncos last won a postseason game -- Super Bowl 50 against Jared Allen and the Carolina Panthers. Patrick Mahomes is 35-5 against the AFC West and 29-7 in regular-season starts Dec. 1 and later.

He’s 13-1 against the Broncos.

And after Jennings left Green Bay to sign with the division-rival Vikings, Minnesota didn’t make the playoffs during his two seasons there (2013-14). Minnesota also went 0-3-1 in four meetings with the team it targeted most, the Packers.

So, by shading the Chiefs and calling his Denver team Super Bowl worthy, maybe Payton studied how prior head coaches have messaged similar situations.

The top source for breaking news from Chiefs camp is OnSI; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And, don’t forget to let us know how you feel about Sean Payton and the Broncos visiting our Facebook page (here).

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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