We've all heard the phrase, "It's not how you start; it's how you finish." And while that is generally true in nearly all things, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton would like things to start a lot better. It's safe to say that all of Broncos Country would.
The Broncos needed another come-from-behind win on Sunday night to knock off the Los Angeles Rams. After a quiet first half in which getting even a first down required strenuous effort, the Broncos exploded for 30 points in the game's final 30 minutes to hold off their NFC West foe.
Broncos fans won't have to take their minds back too far to remember this happening frequently last season. It's one of the biggest reasons the team has so many negative critics. The team, along with its quarterback,
Bo Nix, has now formed an identity as a group that is going to fight until the clock strikes zero. But fans would like a little less stress in their lives, to be sure.
Payton addressed the idea of the Broncos being a second-half team following the win over the Rams.
“I’m comfortable with the grit of a team that can play well in the fourth quarter," said Payton. "I’m uncomfortable with how we play at the start of games, if that’s a fair answer. I’m comfortable with, this is a team that can — because our games, you’re going to be in tight games, but as the head coach, you can’t possibly be comfortable with the way the first half unfolds.”
Payton knows the team needs to get better in this area; it's not a secret to anyone who follows or plays for the team.
“[T]here’s relief, but there’s never that perfect game," Payton said. "There’s just a lot that I think we can be better at. I think that’s our job, is to find that we’re not there. I’m excited about the win, but it’s a tough first half, so that has to get better.”
It's hard to say why this team gets off to such slow starts. A lot of that has to do with Nix, who rarely gets off to a strong start to begin a game and that carries over to the offense as a whole. Frequently, the defense has done just enough to hold on until the offense can get going.
But Payton has been around long enough to know that's not a recipe for success against the upper echelon of the NFL. It will be an interesting storyline to follow, as it has the chance to be the biggest story of the 2026 Broncos. Whether they can reverse that trend or not could easily determine how far they go this season.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Sean Payton ‘can’t possibly be comfortable’ with this Broncos’ trend
