“I think I hate losing more than anything in the world,” Payton said. “I think fear of failure is a very significant motivating factor. I think from a detail standpoint, there’s nothing that’s too small that’s not significant. That has to exist outside the lines as well. The entrance, the locker room, the signs, after the game. Everything we do, all of that has been thought of. Almost manic with the details. I just think eventually the player’s feeling is like, ‘They’ve thought of everything.'”
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Denver quarterback Bo Nix shares Payton’s sentiments. “I think that’s pretty much the common theme we have (hatred of losing),” Nix said. “We’re very competitive. We don’t like to lose and we’re going to do everything we can to win. So you’re going to get that competitiveness, you’re going to get that momentum, you’re going to get the details, you’re going to get the little things, all to not avoid losing and get a win no matter what it looks like.”
The Broncos’ ability to bounce back after a loss will be tested on Christmas Day in an AFC West matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. You can only play with who is in front of you, and the Broncos have had notable success in 2025. After the Jaguars loss, Payton emphasized delving into the details of the things Denver is doing well and the things they are struggling with.
“I told this to the team; I said, ‘Part of this process is not to fool ourselves,'” Payton said. “‘(The Jaguars) beat us tonight. They beat us well in all three areas, and it all starts with me.’ Even though it hurts going down, you can’t spit it out and you have to swallow it. That’s the truth. They beat us in all three areas. We have to coach better. We have to look at what we’re doing. We have to make sure we don’t do too much.”
Now they have a chance to bounce back in Kansas City.
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“Coach (Payton is) very detailed, very specific in what he wants, so it honestly makes it a little easier for him to play because you know what he wants, he’ll explain it to you,” Nix said. “As a player, you just have to do what he tells you. If you make a mistake, he’ll just run it again. There’s nothing to do. Just do it again, and do it again and feel it. Make sure you do it right and then we’ll move on to the next thing. I think it’s a really important thing that the details are important, and if the details are important, it doesn’t matter if they’re big or small, you’ll have a good, detailed team.”
The Broncos are looking to bounce back in a big way and hopefully not be visited again by the “ghost of Christmas past” from years ago.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: NFL: Sean Payton is ‘manic with details’ because he hates losing