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Sean Payton Hopes for Change in Fortunes Following Russell Wilson’s Unceremonious Demotion

Published 01/01/2024, 11:09 PM EST

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Russell Wilson’s untimely benching has turned out to be a positive new start for the Denver Broncos. The HC Sean Payton has been under a lot of duress ever since the grimy details of his contract have flooded the internet. The win against the LA Chargers has come with a silver lining for the Broncos HC and brought out noteworthy praises from Payton for his team’s latest efforts.

Payton spoke to the media about the changes he has seen in the team ever since he benched Wilson and gave Jarett Stidham a chance. Safe to say that Stidham got the deserving credit for how things turned around for the Broncos in the game against the Chargers. The 8-8 Broncos won against the LA Chargers but still won’t be seeing us in the playoffs due to other AFC results not going in their favor.

Sean Payton finds his spark after benching Russell Wilson

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Sean Payton was asked to elaborate on Denver’s “average to below average offense” and how things have changed after Russell Wilson’s benching. He was also asked whether he has found the “spark” in Stidham and whether there has been some improvement that he could witness in the team. The HC had an interesting takeaway on the situation despite winning against the LA Chargers.

“I think this, um, in the comments last week were really a sum total of um what 15 games, um and yet uh, there were some things I was real encouraged about yesterday.” Payton highlighted how if the win is looked at in the week-by-week sense, then a game with a score less than 20 points for the team would be considered not enough.

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He even addressed how talks have been surrounding the missed opportunities in the red zone. But for the HC, matters related to football appear to be “safe” at the moment as he expressed his eyes being set on the next clash.

He also added by saying, “But that was a stretch, that was a long stretch of 15 weeks where we’ve seen a similar pattern. I think that’ll change and I made the decision with the hopes that that’s going to help bring change.”

“Texted My Wife”: Russell Wilson’s Replacement Jarrett Stidham Pleased About First Win in 5 Years

But whether Payton thinks that he has found the “spark” or not, it is too late to reflect on this because the team is already out of the playoffs picture. The 8-8 record doesn’t inspire much confidence in the Broncos anymore. However, Stidham’s addition might not go in vain after the team beat the Chargers.

Jarrett Stidham’s dominant performance against the Chargers!

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While its too early to make a comment about Stidham’s performance with him having played only one game, the QB has displayed great promise for the Broncos to go ahead with him. Stidham took the team to a win with a 62.5% pass completion rate and made 32 attempts over 224 yards.

USA Today via Reuters

Even though the present saga does not have much more to offer for the Denver team, they would look to invest well in the on-field time for Stidham, to allow the QB to gain much needed experience. The HC potentially hinted toward the same when he praised the young player for playing so well despite it being only his third outing on the gridiron.

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What did you think about the game against the Chargers and the small turnaround for the Broncos? Let us know below.

Watch This Story: Benched Russell Wilson Snubs ‘Anxiety’ As Broncos QB Pens ‘Gratitude’ Message

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Written by:

Abhinav Prakash

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Aazima Basharat