Sean Payton Says Russell Wilson, Broncos Need to 'Keep Fighting' Like 2022 Lions

The Denver Broncos have had a difficult start to the season but head coach Sean Payton is holding out hope for a turnaround.

Denver is 1-5 and has lost two consecutive games. The lackluster start to the season makes a trip to the playoffs look unlikely at best, but Payton referenced the 2022 Detroit Lions as motivation for his team moving forward.

"There's a fine line here between a groove and a rut," Payton said during his press conference. "You take a look, and I'll give you an example — Detroit. A year ago, I watched it as a media member, covering a handful of tough losses. They were 1-6. I know [coach] Dan [Campbell] well, and you keep fighting. There's a grit element involved. Some mental toughness that's involved. Pretty soon, here they are at the end of the season. They were eliminated before [they played their final game], but they were in contention. Here they are now as one of those teams. We're kind of in that position. We're bowing up, and we have to."

The Lions started 2022 1-6 before rallying to finish 9-8 and narrowly miss the playoffs. The run set the team on a positive trajectory going into 2023 and they have started this season 5-1 and currently lead the NFC North.

This turnaround was remarkable and Denver doing so would be as well. The Broncos could easily have a better record as two losses came by two or fewer points but the momentum would really have to shift to evoke the 2022 Lions. Denver was only able to score eight points in a Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Denver will look to get off on the right foot in Week 7 when they face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.