Sean Payton made a point of getting to the Superdome long before he would normally play a game — six hours before kickoff — so he could ease his emotional return to a place where he coached on the home sideline for a decade and a half. His return to New Orleans was made even better by seeing his current team, the Denver Broncos, win handily.

“Coming back here is different and pretty special,” Payton said.

“To be with this team and this ownership group, that’s the reason you miss it. A year later you miss the relationships. You miss making memories. … Being around young people and having the opportunity to be a part to create their journey and coach It’s a pretty good job, I’m grateful for it.

Payton received his team’s game ball after the double-digit win, which he shared “meant a lot to him.”

Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix passed for 164 yards and ran for 75 yards for Denver (4-3), which dominated statistically. The Broncos outgained the Saints 389 yards to 271 while sending New Orleans (2-5) to its fifth straight loss. Broncos RB Javonte Williams drove in two scores and LB Cody Barton returned a fumble 52 yards for a score in the 33-10 win.

“It was great. The Saints mean a lot to him. He was there for a while and had tremendous success,” Nix said, referring to Payton’s franchise-high 152 regular season wins with the Saints from 2006 to 2021, and his Super Bowl-winning season in 2009. “I’m happy for him.”

Denver’s defense, which ranked fourth in the NFL in yards allowed entering Thursday’s tilt, finished with six sacks.

At halftime, the Saints inducted former QB and 13-time Pro Bowler Drew Brees into the franchise’s Hall of Fame. Payton, Brees’ head coach during his time with the Saints, said it’s “always good” to see the legendary signal caller.

During Payton’s reign as head coach of the Saints (2006-2021), they won Super Bowl XLIV, had nine 10-plus win seasons and made the playoffs nine times. New Orleans went a combined 152-89 in the regular season and 9-8 in the postseason during his 15-season tenure (excluding the 2012 NFL season for which he was suspended).

Payton stepped down as head coach after the 2021 season. He then returned to the sidelines in 2023 after the Broncos traded a first- and second-round draft pick to the Saints for Payton and a third-rounder.

The Broncos went 8-9 in Payton’s first season as head coach.

Denver and New Orleans are now moving in opposite directions; the Broncos have won four of their past five games, while the Saints have lost five straight and are without veteran quarterback Derek Carr due to an oblique injury.

Payton’s New Orleans teams suffered just two losses at home by 20 points or more, something the Saints have done twice in the last five days.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen – Payton’s defensive coordinator in New Orleans – hugged his former colleague after the game. The 61-year-old Payton has now covered all 32 NFL teams as a head coach.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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