Inside Sean Payton's 'game-day' alter ego - ESPN

When Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton looks across the field at the Caesars Superdome on Thursday night, he'll be faced with 16 years of memories as the former coach of the New Orleans Saints.

There was Steve Gleason's blocked punt during the Saints' first game back in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2006 and Garrett Hartley's kick to send the 2009 squad to the Super Bowl. Payton watched Drew Brees break records from a suite while serving a Bountygate suspension in 2012 and witnessed the «No-Call» heartbreak in the NFC Championship Game from the 2018 season.

Payton's meticulous attention to detail, motivational tactics and domineering personality helped build a winning culture in New Orleans. He turned a franchise that had one playoff win into an offensive powerhouse, with nine postseason appearances and a Super Bowl victory.

Almost three years removed from the place where he won 152 games, Payton will be the man standing in the way of the Saints (2-4) on «Thursday Night Football» (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video) as he tries to continue to establish a culture in Denver and get the Broncos (3-3) back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

«I don't think there's going to be a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for yours truly, and I get it.… I can't stand losing,» Payton said. «It's about our team and me as the head coach of the Broncos getting ready to play on an early week and trying to play one of our better games.»

It's the first time Payton will face the Saints and coach Dennis Allen, who coached under Payton for 12 seasons in two separate stints. The Saints traded Payton's contract to the Broncos last year after he spent the 2022 season as an NFL analyst. New Orleans acquired the 29th pick in the 2023 draft