But, didn't the Saints have a better offense and a better record than the Broncos? I'm not sure exactly what was working. Their offense wasn't very good. Payton is certainly a better play caller than Pete. But his offense became predictable long before he retired from the Saints.
In Payton's defense he took the 32nd rank team in points in 2022 to 19th in points in 2023. He also gave the Broncos their most wins since the 2016 season in his first season.