DENVER — Head Coach Sean Payton's 200th career win couldn't have come in more meaningful fashion.
A divisional opponent. A game that came down to the final play. A special home crowd.
"I've been fortunate to have been a part of a lot of good players and a lot of good organizations, people that make that happen," Payton said when reflecting on the milestone following the win. "So, it was emotional. The timing of the game and everything else. … There's nothing like it. I think the little bit of the curse is that I hate losing probably more than I like winning. So, this was a good win."
With Sunday's victory, Payton became the sixth-fastest coach to reach 200 overall career wins and just the 12th coach to ever reach the mark. Only Don Shula, George Halas, Curly Lambeau, Bill Belichick and Paul Brown reached the mark faster, and four of the five men have been enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with Belichick likely to follow. Payton is also now tied with Broncos Ring of Fame head coach Dan Reeves for the 11th most regular-season victories in NFL history, and he is just two wins away from moving into the top 10 in NFL history in overall career wins. With three more wins, Payton would move into the top 10 in regular-season wins and tie Broncos Ring of Fame head coach Red Miller for the fourth most wins in team history.
In Sunday's victory, Payton also coached in his 300th career regular-season game, joining just 18 other head coaches who have ever reached the mark.
"You just think about the teams, the players," Payton said. "Everyone involved."
Following the win, Payton received a game ball for reaching the milestones.
BRONCOS OFFENSE FINDS FOURTH-DOWN SUCCESS
When the pressure could not have been any more palpable, Denver's offense delivered.
Not once, but twice.
Trailing by eight points in the second quarter, the Broncos had yet to find the end zone. With a first-and-goal at the 1-yard line, Denver attempted to punch it in on the ground but came up short on first, second and third down. Electing to go for it on fourth down, quarterback Bo Nix put the ball in the air and found wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 1.
Then, in the fourth quarter, the Broncos' offense faced a similar situation. This time trailing by 11 points, Nix and Co. found themselves with a first-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The first-, second- and third-down attempts at the end zone were unsuccessful, but Nix found tight end Nate Adkins on fourth down for the score. The ensuing two-point conversion brought Denver within a field goal with nine minutes to play.
"It was huge," Nix said of the pair of fourth-down scores. "We maximized all four plays that we had. I credit Coach for being very aggressive. It paid off, and literally it won us the football game twice. If we don't have one, we don't have the win. So, you have to give it to them. Great red-zone team. You look at their stats, look at their success and then the fact that we went three-of-three scoring in the red zone, that's really tough to do. So, I give props to our guys. We just played it until the end, played it one play at a time, and eventually got the football in the end zone. … Every point matters in this league."
RB JONAH COLEMAN POSTS CAREER-BEST PERFORMANCE
While the Broncos' pair of fourth-down scores brought the team within striking distance, there was still more work to be done. After Harrison Butker missed a 54-yard field goal attempt that would have extended Kansas City's lead, Denver's offense regained possession near midfield with just over two-and-a-half minutes to play. On the very first play of the drive, Nix delivered a short pass to running back Jonah Coleman, who found open space and picked up 51 yards.
On the ensuing play, Coleman found the end zone for a 5-yard score.
"Jonah played great, ran the ball really tough," Nix said. "He's explosive when he gets the football. He runs hard, hard to tackle, very quick to the hole and through it. … He just made the plays that were there. He didn't let the moment get too big."
Coleman's 51-yard play and touchdown were just two of the big plays in what was a career-best night for the rookie. Coleman said following the win that "whenever I get in the game, my job is to make plays," and he credited the offensive line and Nix with allowing him to do so. The rookie finished the game with a career-high 104 scrimmage yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown gave the Broncos a lead they would not relinquish.
"It was just all about going hard for one another," Coleman said. "Coach said it was going to be a fourth-quarter game, and it's hard to play at [Empower Field at] Mile High when they got the crowd rocking like how they [were]. Broncos Country showed up today. It helped us get that win. It was good to just go out there and punch in the game winner and rely on the defense and allow them to dominate like they've been doing all year."
