After the Sunday night victory over the Houston Texans, the Denver Broncos marked their 7th straight win in the season, and now they are in an excellent position, 7-2. By the back-to-back victories and the Broncos’ current record, it might seem like everything is going fine for the Broncos this season. But that’s not what Broncos head coach Sean Payton thinks.

Payton first expressed concern about the late subs and noted that it had created a big mess in the kicking game. He then mentioned, “We’ll get that cleaned up, or we’ll find someone else that can do it.” However, there was confusion regarding whether Payton was referring to a player or the coaching staff of the special team, which has now been clarified as Payton mentioned that “coaching is outstanding.”

Luca Evans, who covers the Denver Broncos for The Denver Post, asked Payton to clarify his “we’ll find someone else that can do it” comment as to whether he was targeting a specific player or the coaching staff, to which Payton replied. “If you are paying attention. I’m referring to players that aren’t on the field that need to be, all right. Coaching is outstanding, all right. We’ll get that cleaned up.”

The special teams struggles of the Broncos surfaced during the Sunday game against the Broncos. Although the game was won by a 34-yard field goal by Wil Lutz of the special team, this wasn’t enough to hide their struggles. Although Lutz has been good on the field with a field goal percentage of 84.6 and a 100% extra point percentage, the unit hasn’t performed well.

In the game against the Texans, Lutz’s first 51-yard attempt could have given the Broncos an early lead, but it was blocked. This forced the Broncos to play most of the game from behind. Also, just before halftime, a muffed punt by the Broncos’ special team’s Michael Bandy gave the Texans a lead.

Broncos long snapper Mitchell Fraboni also had a costly moment on Sunday as his poorly downed ball on a kickoff cost the Broncos yards. Although Payton hasn’t mentioned any names in his comment when criticizing the special team, it appears that Lutz is not the target, but rather Fraboni and Bandy are.

It must be surprising for fans to see the Broncos struggle through the season, as they were a strong unit back in 2024.

The Broncos’ special team hasn’t been that special after 2024

Back in the 2024 season, the Broncos had one of the strongest special teams. The Broncos averaged 15.7 yards per return in 2024, leading the league in this category. They had a 91.2 field goal percentage, and the extra point percentage was 100% for the season.

However, Sean Payton subsequently fired the successful special teams coordinator, Ben Kotwica, and replaced him with Darren Rizzi from New Orleans, a decision Payton might now regret. The Broncos have made a total of 11 field goals, achieving an 84.6 field goal percentage in the current season.

But even with the current struggles, the chances of the Broncos making any major changes this week are less, as the Las Vegas Raiders are coming to town on Thursday.

Whomever Payton targeted with his comment, the Broncos will have to deal with the issue if they want to emerge as a strong Super Bowl contender. Even with a strong defense and offense, the Broncos’ special teams struggles can prove costly in the upcoming games.