NFL Exec: Broncos' Sean Payton 'Could Not Stomach People Thinking He Is Bad'

Sean Payton's Denver Broncos tenure could not have gotten off to a worse possible start.

The Broncos dropped to 0-3 following Sunday's embarrassing 70-20 loss to the Miami Dolphins, and some NFL executives already think the team should be looking toward the future.

"The best move for them could be to look at the draft, but here is the thing. Payton could not stomach people thinking he is bad. If he were to tank, everyone will have to know. Just like after the Washington game," an executive told Mike Sando of The Athletic.

Payton has never won fewer than seven games in a season as a head coach and finished his New Orleans tenure with five straight winning campaigns. While most of the blame fell on Nathaniel Hackett last season for Russell Wilson's struggles, it's Payton who now finds himself in the spotlight.

Wilson's on-paper numbers have been acceptable through the first three games. He's thrown for 791 yards and six touchdowns against two interceptions, completing 65.4 percent of his passes and posting a 99.5 quarterback rating that's right in line with his career averages.

But Wilson has continued to struggle getting play calls in with enough time to make adjustments at the line, and Payton has already publicly criticized his quarterback.

Denver's defense has been its biggest issue, with the Dolphins putting up an astounding 726 yards of total offense Sunday. The Broncos have looked incompetent on the defensive end each of the last two weeks after starting with a solid performance against the Las Vegas Raiders.

While defense isn't Payton's forte, his offense is nowhere near good enough to make up for the weaknesses on the other side of the ball at this point.