Watch Rare Glimpse of Sean Payton's Locker Room Speech After Upsetting Eagles

The cameras aren't usually allowed in the Denver Broncos' locker room post-game. Sean Payton was given a game ball by Broncos owner Greg Penner.

Oct 5, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton looks on in the second half against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. | Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos shocked the NFL world on Sunday, beating the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles 21-17. The reigning Super Bowl Champions were taken down in their own house by a Broncos team that trailed for most of the game.

However, the Broncos turned it on in the fourth quarter, storming back. Thanks, in part, to a gutsy call from head coach Sean Payton on a two-point conversion after Bo Nix hit tight end Evan Engram for a touchdown, the Broncos inexplicably came back from a 14-point deficit to take the lead halfway through the fourth quarter.

It was far from over, though, as the Broncos had to keep Jalen Hurts and the Eagles from getting any more points. Nix later led the Broncos on a clutch field-goal drive to extend their lead to four points, giving Hurts and company a long field under 1:30 to go with no timeouts.

The Broncos held on to win. After the game, we caught a rare glimpse inside the Broncos locker room, with Sean Payton's emotional speech.

"I want to say something. Man, we came here to win a game and I can't tell you—and I know, on behalf of the coaches and ownership, everyone else—how proud we are of the way you played today," Payton said post-game in the lcoker room. "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. You did it."

The Broncos smoked the Eagles 👏🏈

No, but seriously, look at this video. Sean Payton addresses the team through the postgame cigar smoke in Denver. pic.twitter.com/TcHqU4cuYJ

— Gabriel Schray (@schrayguy) October 5, 2025

In the hazy afterglow of the game, Broncos co-owner and CEO Greg Penner presented Payton with the game ball, recognizing his head coach for notching his 173rd career win, officially passing his mentor, Bill Parcells.

🗣️ “We came here to win a game.”

Mission accomplished. 👏

Inside the locker room after #DENvsPHI! pic.twitter.com/G1NFLu7fMP

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) October 6, 2025

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Obstacles Overcome

The Broncos had a mountain of adversity to overcome to even fight their way back into this game. But they did it, and it put the AFC West on notice.

The Broncos held the Eagles to just 2-of-11 (18%) on third down, and limited them to just 302 total yards and 17 points. Hurts was sacked six times, and while there were no turnovers, the Broncos' second-half adjustments stymied the Eagles' offense.

Nix turned in a signature performance, even though his box score won't blow anyone away. He finished 24-of-39 for 242 yards and a touchdown, contributing 22 additional yards on the ground.

Running back J.K. Dobbins heated up in the second half, finishing with 80 yards on 20 hard-fought carries. Courtland Sutton and Evan Engram came in clutch in the second half, too.

Rush linebacker Nik Bonitto finished with 2.5 sacks, really asserting himself as a bona fide Defensive Player of the Year candidate. It was a balanced, complementary performance by the Broncos.