Sean Payton proves NFC South rivalry still lives on

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Sean Payton proves NFC South rivalry still lives on with shot at Falcons fans

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Aug 14, 2026 11:53 PM ET

When it comes to the fierceness of their rivalries, the NFC South does not always get the same level of hype or respect as some other divisions around the NFL. When you think of brutal, intense rivalries, or the historic rivalries, your mind probably goes to the NFC East, NFC North, AFC North or even the AFC West.

But the NFC South rivalries can run just as deep, and as Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton showed on Friday night against the Atlanta Falcons, they are not forgotten even when the people involved leave the division.

Sean Payton gets in dig at Falcons fans during preseason opener

As Payton was completing his interview with the local Denver broadcast going into halftime, Broncos reporter Cynthia Frelund said to Payton, "We know you win here," in reference to the fact that his team already had a 24-0 lead in the game and was on its way to a 27-7 win.

Payton then immediately jumped on that remark and got in a dig at the lack of fans in the stadium by saying that a lot of people were there dressed as empty seats.

"A lot of people dressed up as empty seats today." - Sean Payton at halftime of the Broncos' preseason game against the Falcons in Atlanta. pic.twitter.com/i3k1RNKKHZ
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 15, 2026

Payton and the Falcons are very familiar with one another given that he spent 15 years as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints. It was a very one-sided rivalry as Payton's teams have gone 22-9 against the Falcons.

To be fair to Falcons fans, empty seats at preseason NFL games is a pretty common thing. Just as it is at every sport, outside of maybe spring training baseball. You have to be a true hardcore fan to want to pay ticket prices and everything else that goes into attending a game, while also investing three hours of your Friday night, into watching backups play a meaningless game that does not count in the standings.

But that is not the important thing here, and that is not why Payton made the comment.

The important thing here, and the source of the comment, is that even though he is no long part of the NFC South, that is always going to be a part of him and he just wanted Falcons fans to know that he has not forgotten them. Or their rivalry.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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