Broncos head coach Sean Payton climbed past mentor Bill Parcells on wins list with 21-17 victory over the Eagles

The Denver Broncos and Sean Payton had their locker room filled with smoke after their win against the Eagles.

The Denver Broncos handed the Philadelphia Eagles their first loss of the season with a 21-17 win at the Lincoln Financial Field on Monday. Afterwards, head coach Sean Payton gave an impassioned post-game speech to his squad in a locker room filled with smoke.

Many, including Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, were initially left confused, with the journalist even posting on X as he thought that there had been a fire at the stadium.

“Is there a fire at the Linc?”

he wrote on the social media platform, before quickly clearing up the confusion, even though the smoke may have taken more time.

“Got this cleared up … it's a smoke machine Denver has for wins,” he wrote.

There was so much smoke in the locker room that Payton even appeared to hide behind it for part of his speech. The Broncos had fought back from a 14-point deficit by scoring 15 in around five minutes in the fourth quarter.

Denver were led by Bo Nix, who scored thrice on three possessions in the fourth quarter as they finished it 18-0 to round off the win. Payton’s post-game speech to his players perfectly captured the emotion.

“We came here to win a game and I can’t tell you – and I know on behalf of the coaches and ownership and everyone else – how proud we are of the way you played today. When you play a team like that, it’s never going to be perfect, but man, not once did we flinch. And that’s what you have to do to beat a team like that and you did it,” he was heard proclaiming through the smoke.

The Broncos moved to a 3-2 record with the victory and will now take on the New York Jets on Sunday. The Eagles, on the other hand, will look to bounce back quickly against the New York Giants on Thursday.

Broncos’ Sean Payton passes mentor Bill Parcells on wins list by beating Eagles

Broncos head coach Sean Payton climbed past mentor Bill Parcells on wins list with 21-17 victory over the Eagles.

It was a milestone Sunday for Sean Payton, who banked his 173rd career win and finally passed his old mentor, Bill Parcells, on the NFL all-time wins list. The Broncos rallied from a 17-3 deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles 21-17 at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 5. Payton’s 173 wins now tie him with Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh for 14th place on the all-time list, behind only Andy Reid (275) and Mike Tomlin (186) among active coaches.

“He and I spoke this past week,” Payton said in the postgame press conference. “No one keeps track of that kind of stuff … He shared a lot of memories about coaching in this division, because he coached in it forever. That was [Joe] Gibbs in Washington, that was [Tom] Landry. That was [Dick] Vermeil. It was a salty division. Still is. And I was talking to him about coming to Philly, and he agreed, and he talked about going to Washington and that old stadium. When you play a tough opponent like Philly on the road, I told my team, ‘You're gonna forget the money, the car — all that stuff, but you're not gonna forget, just these moments. This trip over to London now. Ultimately, that's what you do it for. You're making memories.'”

Denver owner and CEO Greg Penner presented Payton with the game ball to commemorate the milestone.

The 61-year-old began his NFL coaching career with Philadelphia as a quarterbacks coach from 1997-98 and later served under Parcells with the Dallas Cowboys as assistant head coach/quarterbacks (2003-2004) and assistant head coach/passing game coordinator (2005). The New Orleans Saints hired him ahead of the 2006 season, which overlapped with Parcells’ final season as a coach.

The fourth quarter belonged to Denver quarterback Bo Nix, who instigated a pyrotechnic comeback. Behind 17-3 at the end of the third quarter, Nix piloted three scoring drives on three possessions. He completed 9 of 10 passes for 126 yards in the fourth quarter, including an 11-yard touchdown pass to Evan Engram that narrowed the Eagles’ lead to 17-16.

Nix’s overall stat line included 242 passing yards. It was his second consecutive strong performance after throwing for a career-high 326 yards and two touchdowns against the Cincinnati Bengals the previous week.

Running back J.K. Dobbins contributed a 2-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth, following up his 101-yard performance against Cincinnati with 79 yards against the Eagles. Wide receivers Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin were the Broncos' prime movers on the decisive drives, with Franklin catching the two-point conversion pass from Nix that gave Denver an 18-17 lead with 7:36 remaining. Wil Lutz sealed the comeback with a 36-yard field goal with 1:11 left.

The Eagles receded to 4-1 following the loss. It was just their second loss in the last 22 games. The Broncos’ victory was their first road win of the 2025 season and their first against a team with a current winning record. At 3-2, Denver will meet the winless New York Jets in Week 6 in London, where Payton will look for his 174th career win, which would tie him with Mike McCarthy for 13th on the all-time list.

Dillon Gabriel addresses the Browns’ painful defeat to the Vikings, admitting the team let themselves down. "We know we’re better than what we showed, and we’ll come back stronger."

In the wake of a humbling and historic loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel took full responsibility for the team’s performance and expressed his disappointment after the 31-10 defeat. The loss marked a low point in the season for the Browns, and Gabriel was quick to admit that the team’s performance fell short of expectations.

“This one hurts, and we know we’re better than what we showed,” Gabriel said somberly after the game. “We have to look ourselves in the mirror and come back stronger. This loss is on us. We can’t make excuses—we just didn’t execute when it mattered.”

Gabriel, who has been one of the team’s bright spots this season, was visibly frustrated with the loss, which came at a crucial point in the season as the Browns looked to build momentum. Despite playing with determination, the offense struggled to get anything going against the Vikings, leading to the disappointing outcome.

“We let the momentum slip away,” Gabriel continued. “We had opportunities, but we didn’t capitalize on them. We need to clean up our mistakes and make sure we’re better prepared for the next game. This is a wake-up call for us.”

While the team’s struggles were felt across all phases of the game, Gabriel’s leadership remained unwavering. His reflection on the loss was a reminder that the Browns are committed to learning from their mistakes and pushing forward. The quarterback took accountability, but he also emphasized that the team’s potential is still intact.

“Every loss is a chance to learn,” Gabriel said. “We’re not going to let this define us. We know what we’re capable of, and we’ll work harder to get back to where we need to be. The season isn’t over—we’re going to keep fighting.”

Gabriel’s words struck a chord with his teammates, many of whom echoed his sentiments of accountability and determination. While the Browns may have hit a low point, their focus remains on improving and staying united as they look to bounce back in the coming weeks.

“We’re a team, and we take these losses together,” Gabriel concluded. “We’ll regroup, stay focused, and come back stronger. This won’t be the last time you see us fight.”

With Gabriel leading the way, the Browns are determined to put this defeat behind them and work toward turning their season around, proving that setbacks are only temporary and growth is what truly defines a team.

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