There's aren't many more accomplished head coaches across NFL history than Sean Payton.
As the longtime leader of the New Orleans Saints, before un-retiring to coach the Denver Broncos in 2023, Payton has been a consistent presence in the league for decades. The often-serious Payton has guided plenty of teams to the postseason, also leading the Saints to a Super Bowl.
In just five of his 18 years of being a head coach, Payton's team had a losing record. That means he's built a long history of playoff games between New Orleans and Denver.
Here's a look at Sean Payton's career record coaching in the playoffs.
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Sean Payton playoff record
- 9-9 (.500)
Sean Payton has coached in 18 NFL playoff games, and to this point, he's dead-even with wins and losses. With a 9-9 record, Payton is one win away from becoming the 19th coach in league history to win 10 playoff games.
For the time being, all of Payton's playoff wins have come with the Saints, as he has yet to win a playoff game in Denver. Three of his wins alone came during New Orleans' 2009 run to the Lombardi Trophy.
While Payton led the Broncos to a postseason appearance in the 2024 season, the team lost its first matchup in the bracket.
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Sean Payton playoff wins, results
Here's a breakdown of Sean Payton's playoff coaching history.
| Date | Round | Vrabel's Team | Result |
| Jan. 13, 2007 | Divisional Round | Saints | Saints 27, Eagles 24 (W) |
| Jan. 21, 2007 | NFC Championship Game | Saints | Bears 39, Saints 14 (L) |
| Jan. 16, 2010 | Divisional Round | Saints | Saints 45, Cardinals 14 (W) |
| Jan. 24, 2010 | NFC Championship Game | Saints | Saints 31, Vikings 28 (W) |
| Feb. 7, 2010 | Super Bowl | Saints | Saints 31, Colts 17 (W) |
| Jan. 8, 2011 | Wild Card | Saints | Seahawks 41, Saints 36 (L) |
| Jan. 7, 2012 | Wild Card | Saints | Saints 45, Lions 28 (W) |
| Jan. 14, 2012 | Divisional Round | Saints | 49ers 36, Saints 32 (L) |
| Jan. 4, 2014 | Wild Card | Saints | Saints 26, Eagles 24 (W) |
| Jan. 11, 2014 | Wild Card | Saints | Seahawks 23, Saints 15 (L) |
| Jan. 7, 2018 | Wild Card | Saints | Saints 31, Panthers 26 (W) |
| Jan. 14, 2018 | Divisional Round | Saints | Vikings 29, Saints 23 (L) |
| Jan. 13, 2019 | Divisional Round | Saints | Saints 20, Eagles 14 (W) |
| Jan. 20, 2019 | NFC Championship Game | Saints | Rams 26, Saints 23 (L) |
| Jan. 5, 2020 | Wild Card | Saints | Vikings 26, Saints 20 (L) |
| Jan. 10, 2021 | Wild Card | Saints | Saints 21, Bears 9 (W) |
| Jan. 17, 2021 | Divisional Round | Saints | Buccaneers 30, Saints 20 (L) |
| Jan. 12, 2025 | Wild Card | Broncos | Bills 31, Broncos 7 (L) |
Of Payton's 18 playoff games, 17 have been with the Saints. He won his first-ever Saints playoff game in January 2007 over the Eagles. By February 2010, his New Orleans squad had gone on a 3-0 playoff stretch to win the Super Bowl over the Colts.
The Saints never quite reached that pinnacle again under Payton, losing in the Wild Card round three times, the divisional round three times and the NFC Championship Game once from there. His final playoff appearance with the Saints was a 10-point loss to the Buccaneers after the 2020 regular season, when Drew Brees and Tom Brady went head-to-head.
So far, Payton has made just one playoff appearance with the Broncos, which came in 2024. However, it resulted in a blowout loss to the Bills, although Payton's Broncos will have a chance to redeem that loss in the 2026 divisional round.
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