Broncos coach Sean Payton had several interesting thoughts after beating the Bears at Soldier Field for the fifth consecutive time, dating back to his tenure with the Saints. The Broncos rallied to a 31-28 win despite trailing by 21 late in the third quarter.
“We’ve been in that locker room talking and listening to music,” reminisced Payton, who grew up in Naperville. “It’s nice when you come home and, even after so many years, win here.”
He referenced the Bears’ win over the Patriots last season as a big part of the Broncos’ preparation for quarterback Justin Fields because of the designed runs they used in that game.
“We wanted to make sure we were cage-rushing him and he had to beat us in the pocket,” Payton said “We felt like if we could keep him there, we would get an opportunity.
“Certainly that’s what happened in the last play where Kareem [Jackson] intercepted it. We had him right where we wanted him in the pocket.”
That said, aside from Fields’ crucial errors on a lost fumble and that interception, he ripped through the Broncos and their league-worst defense for the best passing performance of his career.
He completed 28 of 35 passes and set career-highs with 335 yards and four touchdown passes. His 132.7 passer rating was his best as well.
Nonetheless, Payton wasn’t overly impressed by his team beating the lowly Bears.
“I don’t want to sugarcoat anything: We’re going to play a lot better teams on our schedule — no disrespect to Chicago and Matt, what they’re trying to do,” Payton said. “I’m sure the feeling is the same [for them].”
