The Denver Broncos might’ve walked out of NRG Stadium with a 7–2 record and sole possession of first place in the AFC West, but don’t mistake this one for a victory lap. Their 18–15 win over the Houston Texans was more of an escape act. One that left head coach Sean Payton to give up on his intended game plan.

In his postgame press conference, Payton made it clear that the initial plan was to control field position and live on Houston’s side of the 50. But the kicking game didn’t really allow that to happen. “The thing that was troubling, we went into wanting to play as much on their side of the field,” Payton said.

He added that poor kicking play didn’t really help with his plan, as the Broncos started deep while the Texans started near midfield. And just like how it has played out most of the time this season, the defense bailed the Broncos out. And yet, this was more than just a bad night for the kickers.

The entire special teams unit looked out of sync. Houston’s 15 points didn’t come courtesy of long drives or surgical quarterback play, no. Nine of those points came because of special teams mishaps.

The biggest blunder came late in the second quarter when wideout Michael Bandy, fresh off the practice squad and suiting up for the first time this season, muffed a punt on a short hop. Houston fell on it and turned the short field into an easy three points right before halftime.

Thankfully, the defense stepped up big time. The Broncos allowed five field goals through three quarters but never surrendered the end zone. Twice, Houston had the ball inside Denver’s 5-yard line, and twice the Broncos slammed the door. First-quarter goal line stand from the 1. Phenomenal defensive play.

Right now, Denver owns the best red zone defense in football, allowing touchdowns on just 40% of opponent trips. But Sean Payton knows that won’t be enough in January, and he made his feelings known to the locker room.

Sean Payton puts the locker room on notice

Sean Payton doesn’t need anyone to remind him what kind of defense he’s coaching right now. He knows. The Broncos have built a defense that’s playing at an elite level by almost every measurable standard. Best red-zone unit in football. Best third-down defense. The league’s most productive pass rush, piling up nearly 40 sacks.

But if the Broncos want to make a real run, they’ve got to stop shooting themselves in the foot on special teams. Because right now, that unit is the leak in an otherwise airtight ship.

Even if you ignore Michael Bandy’s muffed punt, the rest of the night was a mess. According to The Athletic, the unit saw a 51-yard field goal blocked by Denico Autry, a 45-yard punt return by Jaylin Noel that set up a field goal, a late hit out of bounds, a misplayed touchback that pinned the offense at its own 20 instead of the 35, and a holding penalty that wiped out field position in the fourth quarter.

And Payton’s patience ran out. “We’ll get that cleaned up, or we’ll find someone else that can do it,” he gave the ultimatum in the post-game presser. Whether that message was aimed at special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi or specific players, tonight was a collective mishap.

And if they don’t fix up in the coming weeks, someone’s going to be on their way out.