Some members of the Carolina Panthers were a little salty after Sunday’s action, accusing Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton of raise the scorebut the truth is quite different.

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It’s not as if Payton is blissfully unaware of how much such a beating by a superior opponent can sting. The brutal memories of that 70-point bloodbath in Miami last season linger.

Payton and the Broncos now find themselves in the prime position of having a chance to put away their opponents a year removed from this historic loss, so he’s unapologetically attempting to do just that.

“I want them to have a winning personality,” Payton said of his team. “I want them to adopt a personality that understands what will win in our league. I say it all the time: ‘Confidence only comes from demonstrated ability.’ Now do I feel like we are a team more confident now in October than at the start of the season? There are some things we need to improve on though… We’re trying to win a football game. We’re trying to extend the drive. on my back, Burton So (I’m) not necessarily expecting a touchdown. We’re trying to close out a game.”

Ultimately, a team that has been stuck in a losing quagmire for as long as the Broncos has has to learn how to win again. Then it all depends on what is needed to keep piling gains from week to week.

Payton now has enough confidence in his 5-3 team to demand a lot more of them, and that means asking tough questions. Considering he’s starting a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix under center, some might argue that Payton is playing applying internal pressure to “play better,” but it happens.

“I’m happy with our young players that can play,” Payton said. “We have a young group and a young team. We have some veterans mixed in. We just have to keep going. Just like we develop the quarterback – which obviously gets a lot of attention – we have to develop these other young players as well.

Now we understand why Payton earned his stripes in this league so long ago. He is clearly increasingly convinced that his current group can overcome the biggest challenges that lie ahead.

Payton demands that the Broncos execute clinically, especially in critical moments, and ruthlessly capitalize on opportunities when they present themselves. Payton has not only pushed the Panthers to play better, but he demands it from his team, unequivocally.

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