Jaycee Horn barked and Sean Payton barked back.
The Carolina cornerback and Denver head coach exchanged words after the Broncos’ 28-14 win Sunday at Empower Field, though Payton tried to downplay the interaction.
“I coached his father,” Payton said, referring to 12-year veteran and former New Orleans wide receiver Joe Horn. “So I was yelling back at him. I don’t know what the exchange was, but his father (was a player) I enjoyed coaching. I enjoyed him. (Jaycee) was frustrated. I think he was yelling at one of our other players.
“I like him. I think he’s a good player.”
Horn might have been yelling at somebody else, but the broadcast showed him turning directly toward the Broncos bench and yelling in frustration before Bo Nix took a knee on the final snap of the afternoon.
After the snap, Horn turned back toward the sideline and kept yelling. Payton responded by saying something back, then followed Horn briefly before proceeding to shake Carolina head coach Dave Canales’ hand.
Sean Payton said he coached Jaycee Horn’s dad and wasn’t sure why Horn was yelling. Thought maybe he was yelling at one of Denver’s other players.
“I like him,” Payton said of Jaycee. “He’s a good player.” https://t.co/1tDtOJTBeV
— Parker Gabriel (@ParkerJGabriel) October 27, 2024
The Panthers are the worst team in football by several metrics and perhaps Horn didn’t take kindly to Payton and the Broncos faking a 60-yard field goal attempt and also dialing up a wide receiver pass from Courtland Sutton to fullback Mike Burton in the fourth quarter while holding a multi-score lead.
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Canales shrugged those plays off after the game.
“They’re just competing. (Payton’s) competing to try to make sure they can stay on the field, run the clock out and end the game in that situation,” he said. “If that happens to be the call that was set up there, that’s their decision to make.”
He acknowledged, though, that several of his players didn’t appreciate the fake.
“I think they were a little bit frustrated,” Canales said. “At the same time, we got to put ourselves in a better position by playing well throughout the whole game. I never really fault the other coaches for whatever we’re giving them.”
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