The Broncos aren’t exactly setting the world on fire at 2-2, but a matchup against a struggling 0-4 Chargers squad offers a prime get-right game.
That lone matchup gave Sean Payton the exact window to try something he’s been wanting to do for quite a while this season: get back into calling the plays offensively.
“We’ll make a change offensively; I’ll call the plays,” Payton said after practice.
Sean Payton to Take Over Offensive Play-Calling vs. Chargers
There would still be some collaboration, though, as Webb will stay in his usual game-day position on the sideline and headset, working closely with Bo Nix and assisting with the game plan.
But it will be Payton who has the final say and dials up the calls on game day.
It could be what gets them out of their rut, or it could entirely backfire and give the Chargers the exact game they need to get their first win of the season.
“I’m going to say this first, and I said this to Davis the other day talking to him, I’ve done this long enough to know a future head coach, and he’s going to be one,” Payton added. “All the things that are hard to find are going to happen [for him].”
The Broncos head coach also added that he met with Webb as well as the team’s offensive players and staff Monday before the team began to game-plan for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Payton said Webb has been “fantastic ” as the team has gone through its preparations this week.
On Wednesday, Payton said: “I think our focus needs to be more on the specifics and the detail of each play regardless [of who’s calling the plays]. I think Davis is very fast, very quick, and understands what we’re doing.
“I think that the most important job I have is really evaluating the whys. I think collectively, we all, after a game, and after a four-game sample size, certainly this isn’t championship football, what we see. How quickly can we correct those things?”
Chargers, Chris O’Leary Need to Change Defensive Strategy Too
Sunday will be Payton’s first time play-calling the Broncos squad, who have consistently had problems with establishing a run game as well as plenty of difficulties on first downs.
Sean Payton reassuming play-calling duties gives Jim Harbaugh’s squad a fresh wildcard to prepare for. While the Chargers can rewatch years of Payton’s offensive tape, they can only get so much of an idea of what Payton’s offensive plays actually look like on this squad.
The Broncos are lowest in league rankings in scoring (27th), total yards per game (27th), rushing yards per game (29th), passing yards per game (20th), QBR (23rd), and Offensive EPA (22nd at -7.48). It got the Chargers staff salivating and dreaming about their first win.
Payton taking over might change things, for better or for worse, and Jim Harbaugh’s squad needs to be prepared for both.
Under Chris O’Leary, the Chargers defense has been the backbone of the team, with the wheels not entirely coming off the squad. They have been the unit getting them through games. Perhaps that is what forced Payton to take over the play calling.
At the end of the day, this one comes down to a classic street fight: O’Leary’s battered defense trying to drag down a Denver offense desperate to finally find some life under Payton’s new play-calling.
Broncos HC Sean Payton Sends Cold Message to Chargers With Latest Announcement