Sean Payton Feb 28, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton during the NFL combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Arthur Weinstein on

The Denver Broncos are now officially 0-3 under new head coach Sean Payton, but they were humiliated so badly Sunday, the loss should count twice.

The Miami Dolphins obliterated the Broncos in South Florida, 70-20, in a game that was not as close as the score indicated. The Dolphins likely could have hit 80-plus if they’d wanted.

The NFL mark for points in a game is 73. The regular season record is 72, set by Washington in 1966.

There was plenty of blame to go around on the Broncos sideline. The defense yielded 351 yards rushing and seven total touchdowns to running backs (!), Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa threw for 309 yards and had only three incompletions the entire game, and Denver had three turnovers.

Many NFL fans pointed the finger squarely at Payton after the humiliating defeat. Expectations were high when the former New Orleans Saints offensive guru took over the team.

But the Broncos are still winless and laid such a stinker Sunday it’s the kind of demoralizing loss that can lead to a tailspin.

Many fans noted the karma involved in the Dolphins offensive onslaught. Recall that Payton, while serving as a Fox Sports NFL analyst in 2022, predicted Tagovailoa would lose his job to backup Teddy Bridgewater during the season.

And Payton also rubbed many people the wrong way in late July when he bad-mouthed former Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett, saying his coaching job last season, “might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was.”

Several fans noted that Hackett’s Broncos never gave up 70 points, or lost by 50 in a game last season.

About Arthur Weinstein

Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.

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