The Denver Broncos entered the 2026 season as a team to keep an eye on. But the Kansas City Chiefs upset them mightily with a 31-10 score. The result has been tough to deal with for head coach Sean Payton. But as it turns out, it’s not the only trouble on his plate.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton was often caught on camera watching the game half-bent, with his hands on his knees. After the game, reporters noticed his posture and asked him about it during his Thursday media availability. Payton then explained his back issue.

“I have a [L4-L5] disc [issue], if you want to know the truth,” Sean Payton said to the media. “And so a 4-5 disc radiates through your thigh and can go into your foot. And so it was the first time you’re standing for, call it three and a half, four hours.”

“Hopefully, that’s getting better.”

Payton has been taking some shots to treat the pain. The posture in the Chiefs game was helping keep some of the weight off his feet.

The L4-L5 disc, a thin cushion between those vertebrae, is the most mechanically stressed segment in the spine, according to the Deuk Spine Institute. The two vertebrae sit right at the waist, which is why Payton had to hunch over to manage the pain. The issue is not serious, but age is a factor. The disc dries up over time and becomes unable to take the load.

But Payton, ever the busybody, stood through the pain in the opener. He’s been very active in this stage of life, even choosing to unretire in 2023 to return to head coaching. And he has a massive job in his hands, having turned around the Denver Broncos from an okay team into a championship contender.

Payton has braved an injury on the sideline before. When he was head coach of the New Orleans Saints in 2011, former tight end Jimmy Graham ran into him on the sidelines, injuring the coach’s left leg. But Payton being Payton, still called plays while sitting on the bench with his leg elevated and iced. He was later taken to the locker room for X-rays at halftime, and he moved to the upstairs booth to call plays.

It was later diagnosed as an MCL tear and a tibial plateau fracture. Legendary quarterback Drew Brees also mentioned how his absence was felt.

“Not having Sean on the sidelines is different,” Brees told the Times-Picayune. “But I feel like we have the pieces in place to make up for that.”

Sean Payton will probably power through the L4-L5 spinal issue and still coach the Broncos against the Jaguars. The Chiefs game is still fresh in fans’ memory, and the head coach has to give them something to cheer about.

The Chiefs controlled the game for most of the night, and the numbers made that clear. Kansas City picked up 19 first downs and 392 total yards, while Denver managed just nine first downs and 176 yards. The Chiefs also ran the ball extremely well, finishing with 220 rushing yards on 38 carries.

Payton also blamed himself for the loss.

“When you come off training camp and your offseason program, it’s one thing to lose in a hard-fought game where you feel like you played well,” Payton said to the media after the game. “I don’t feel like we played up to ‌our standard, and certainly that starts with us as coaches, myself. So, yes, it’s disappointing. That would be a great way to describe it.”

The Broncos had just 176 net yards against the Chiefs, so their offense clearly needs to improve. Now, they get another chance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2. Jacksonville allowed 272 net yards to the Cleveland Browns in its first game, so Denver will look to use that matchup to get its offense going again.