Renck: Broncos’ Sean Payton is built for games like this. It’s on him to deliver vs. Bills

This one’s on Sean.

Hired in 2023, Sean Payton has been intentional on how he built his roster, created his program. He did not leave New Orleans. He brought New Orleans with him, his staff full of former Saints assistants.

The results in Denver have been pupil-dilating: a 14-3 record, the first AFC West crown in a decade, the conference’s No. 1 seed and a locker room players have called the closest they have ever experienced.

Everything he imagined when resuming his coaching career has crystallized. Caring and capable ownership. Loyal fan base. Front office alignment. Hand-picked quarterback. Homefield advantage in the postseason.

Now history awaits. A pathway to becoming the first coach to win a Super Bowl with AFC and NFC teams. The plate is set. It is time to eat. First course: Buffalo.

This one’s on Sean.

“He has a unique way of speaking things into existence. He said when last season ended how much they needed this game at home. Here it is. He leaves no stone unturned,” said former Saints linebacker Scott Shanle, who played for Payton from 2006 to 2012. “The culture is established. The buy-in follows because guys understand what the standard is.”

There was a time when Payton excelled in the playoffs, starting his career 4-1, culminating with a 31-17 victory over the Peyton Manning-led Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

His ring and clock management give him an edge over Bills counterpoint Sean McDermott. But it comes with a caveat. Payton enters Saturday 1-3 in his last four postseason games, including a 31-7 throttling at Buffalo a year ago.

This one’s on Sean.

Payton coaches his best when doubted, like this season’s 22-19 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs without running back J.K. Dobbins and reigning defensive player of the year Patrick Surtain II. Make him the favorite — and yes, the line has shifted to Denver over the past few days — and he coaches tight, leaves himself vulnerable to bad calls (see Los Angeles Rams), awful luck (Minnesota Miracle) and poor execution (Tampa Bay).

This one’s on Sean.

With this team, this season, he has rediscovered his touch. With a team everyone wants to believe is a fraud, this is Payton’s best coaching job. Or will be if the Broncos reach the Super Bowl. The Broncos are 13-1 over their last 14 games. They are 14-3 over their last 17 home games, losing only once this season. If the recent postseason record is a mustard stain – his last victory came against Josh Allen’s backup Mitchell Trubisky – this week offers a gallon of Tide.

This one’s on Sean.

Payton is paid $18 million a season to make the right decisions in this intersection. He remains undefeated off a bye in the playoffs. He has found a balance that works.

“I think Sean’s approach during the bye week is traditionally more about mental stimulation. The body knows what to do and how to do it at this point in the season. The routine hasn’t changed,” said former Saints backup quarterback Luke McCown. “The season always had a way of giving ownership to the team. Trusting the guys, treating them as professionals, and players respond to that.  I believe that goes a long way toward being successful in these spots.”

This one’s on Sean.

Payton prides himself on motivating his team, pushing the right buttons. He has put an empty gas can in a locker to let a player know critics think he is running on fumes. Another time, he encased all the players’ potential money earned from winning a Super Bowl along with a faux Lombardi Trophy in the locker room, and told the group “all they needed was to win three (bleeping) games” to get it. This season, he has become known for pulling out stats to make a point — like a road team’s record before going to London, a team’s success when leading at halftime on Thursday night or the playoff history of teams who lose the turnover battle.

“He has a special ability to narrow down what needs to happen this week to win the game, and be very specific with how to do it.  And that differs every week,” McCown said. “But that’s the details that those infamous stats bring out, and he’s able to capitalize on what’s important for this week in order to win.”

Shanle provides a layered perspective. He is one of the few players to suit up for Payton and Bill Parcells –  “a badge of honor for those with thick skin,” he laughed – Payton’s mentor. Both are stern, strict, lacking diplomacy. But Shanle identified Payton’s secret sauce.

“He doesn’t coach everyone the same,” Shanle said. “But he treats everyone the same.”

Players like structure, appreciate the truth. As backup Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham said, “there is no gray area with Sean.” Shanle recalls signs in the locker room reminding the occupants that there were a lot of exit ramps out of the NFL, and that dumb players do dumb things. The opposite, of course, is true. Shanle saw it in person last season.

“When Sean played in New Orleans on that Thursday night, they were an emerging team. They had some good players, but a lot of no-names. Those guys were taking the right angles on plays, and everybody was doing their job,” said Shanle, who does pre and postgame TV work for Saints games. “I told (offensive line coach) Zach Strief, ‘Man you have the blueprint again, you took the same one we had when we won the Super Bowl.’^”

In New Orleans, Payton picked fights, talked trash, coached with his chest out. That has come out in sprinkles in Denver. Players have told me they like it, that it shows how much Payton believes in them.

But now is the moment for Payton to make Broncos Country believe in him. The return to relevance, the turnaround, it cannot be dismissed. But this is Denver. Successful seasons are measured by Super Bowl appearances (eight) and championships (three).

Recently, Payton admitted he battled an illness over the bye week, and watching the offensive film from the Chiefs and Chargers games made him sick. He reflected on the importance of coaching with swagger. “Gameday Sean,” his nickname in New Orleans, remains volcanic, but his play-calling must be more effective.

Payton’s recent accountability is admirable.

Everything he has done is real. But everything he will do Saturday will define this season. This team is too good, too clutch, too tight to bow out in the divisional round.

This one’s on Sean.