Sean Payton gets flamed for viral outburst on Russell Wilson: "He is an extreme a**h*le," "Terrible football coach"

Sean Payton got into a heated argument with Russell Wilson as the Denver Broncos lost 42-17 to the Detroit Lions on Saturday. They were shut out in the first quarter as the Lions scored 21 unanswered points.

However, the point of contention came in the second half, with the score at 28-7. The Broncos had the chance to cut the deficit down to 28-14 had they scored on their possession but were denied and had to settle for a field goal.

During that sequence, it twice looked as if Denver had scored a touchdown, only for the referees to mark them short. Sean Payton did not throw a challenge flag and instead kept continuing. Even when they finally got into the endzone, it was called back because of an offensive offsides penatly, which also looked dubious.

As the coach elected for the field goal, Wilson came out to the sideline and Payton was seen berating his quarterback. It was a strange reaction, many felt, because a challenge flag on either of those contentious calls had the possibility to confirm a touchdown for the Broncos. Instead, it looked as if the coach took it out on his player.

Fans were not happy with how Payton behaved, as it looked as if he was hiding from his decision not to throw the flag and taking out his frustrations on Russell Wilson.

One tweeted:

"Sean Payton is a terrible football coach."

Another chimed in:

"Sean Payton is an extreme a**h*le."

Fans took out their anger on the coach on social media. Here are some of the best reactions on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Reactions on X/Twitter

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Sean Payton refuses to clarify himself after the game

Reporters were equally confused by the whole interaction after the game and asked Sean Payton what had happened.

He went on to say that he was upset with the call and was venting his frustration at the decisions the referees had taken. Asked why he directed it towards Russell Wilson, the coach said:

"What I talk with Russell about is none of your business."

It looked like an extremely defensive answer, but it's understandable since the loss leaves the Denver Broncos 11th in the AFC, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers and behind the Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts, who won on Saturday.

The Detroit Lions, meanwhile, can seal their playoff spot if the Seattle Seahawks lose this week, but at 10-4, their aims are higher than that as they look to secure the first overall seed in the NFC and the divisional championship.