Patriots' Kayshon Boutte, Mike Vrabel respond to perceived called Super Bowl shot from Broncos' Sean Payton

Earlier this week, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton seemed to call his shot regarding the upcoming AFC Championship Game versus the New England Patriots when Payton said that Denver fans will have "two weeks" to rest before their services will next be needed. 

Payton seemingly was referencing Super Bowl LX, which will be played on Feb. 8. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Patriots wide receiver Kayshon Boutte was asked if he had a response to Payton's perceived called shot. 

Kayshon Boutte tells Broncos to get ready for Cancun

"You can rest in Cancun, too, at the end of the day," Boutte said about the Broncos, per Chris Mason of MassLive. 

Numerous members of the football community believe Denver players can start booking their winter vacation plans ahead of the weekend, largely because Broncos backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham will start this Sunday in place of injured QB1 Bo Nix. Stidham hasn't thrown a regular-season pass since he last made a start during the 2023 campaign, but Patriots players have insisted they're not taking the conference title game "for granted at all." 

Did Mike Vrabel want to get into a war of words with Sean Payton?

According to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, a win against the Broncos would tie Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel with the legendary George Seifert for the most wins ever by a coach in his first season with a team, playoffs included (17). On Thursday, Vrabel was asked if he would use Payton's comment as bulletin-board material ahead of Sunday's matchup in Denver. 

"I think we’re plenty motivated for the game," Vrabel said, per Karen Guregian of MassLive. "I think our players are continuing to build confidence through the week. I’m really excited to go out there and play."

As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook continued to list the Patriots as 4.5-point road favorites over the Broncos. Earlier in the week, Smith shared that the 2012 Atlanta Falcons are currently the biggest home underdog for a conference championship (4.5 points) since the NFL moved to the AFC-NFC format in 1970.