Sean Payton Snapped At Reporter Over Russell Wilson Question

Frustration boiled over for Sean Payton on Saturday night, and his quarterback caught the brunt of the tantrum.

In the final minute of the third quarter at Ford Field, NFL Network cameras captured Payton screaming at Russell Wilson as the Broncos trailed the Lions 28-7. Denver went on to lose the Week 15 game by 25 points, and Payton eventually explained his outburst was a product of anger about an offsides penalty that negated a late-game touchdown.

This begged a fair question from a reporter: Why did Payton take aim at Wilson? The Broncos head coach wasn’t willing to address that inquiry, and he didn’t shut it down gently.

“Listen, what I talk to Russell about is none of your business,” Payton told the reporter, per Associated Press.

It was a costly loss for the Broncos, who dropped to 7-7 due in large part to Jared Goff’s five-touchdown performance. To make matters worse for Denver, a pair of AFC playoff contenders — the Indianapolis Colts and the Cincinnati Bengals — improved to 8-6 with wins earlier in the day.

That said, the Patriots might be able to help Payton, Wilson and company salvage the weekend a bit. New England hasn’t thrown in the towel despite being eliminated from postseason contention and it could play spoiler Sunday against a Kansas City Chiefs team that has struggled recently.