Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos just cannot catch a break in September. After snagging a win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team’s September record under Payton since 2024 crawls to a dismal 2-8 through the first three weeks of the season. Oof.
Payton’s Early Season Problem Is Real
Look, the numbers don’t lie. Two wins and eight losses in September? That’s rough, no matter how you slice it. The Broncos kicked off 2026 with a Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, then bounced back with that Jaguars win. But let’s be real, a 2-8 September record under Payton is a pattern that’s getting harder to ignore. What’s wild is that once the calendar flips, Payton’s teams turn into a completely different beast, rocking a 30-12 record in all other months and weeks. This late-season surge has been enough to pull them into two playoff berths and even spark championship expectations heading into their fourth season with Payton at the helm. All-Pro defensive lineman Zach Allen knows it, too. After the Jaguars win, he said, “We’ve kind of proven that for the past three years now (that we can overcome slow starts). So it’s kind of funny how everyone’s freaking out after one game. It’s been like four straight years of slow starts.” Talk about a franchise having faith in its ability to rebound.
Bo Nix’s September Nightmare
It’s not just the coaching staff that struggles out of the gate, either. Quarterback Bo Nix has been an entirely different player in September compared to the rest of the year. We’re talking more turnovers, a lower QBR, his lowest completion percentage, and the fewest yards thrown for in September than any other month outside of the playoffs. That’s a brutal trend for your signal caller. Zach Allen didn’t mince words when he talked about the upcoming game, saying, “We got a really tough opponent this upcoming week. We can’t afford any slow starts or lapses, so just got to get going.” Sounds like the team knows they’ve got to snap out of this early-season funk.
The Broncos are squaring off against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football this coming week. They’re going to need to hit the ground running if they want to get a fast start and beat one of the top teams in the NFC in Week 3. It’s a huge test.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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