Why did Sean Payton yell at Russell Wilson? Broncos HC goes viral during 40-17 loss to Lions

Sean Payton's temper boiled over during the Denver Broncos' 40-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, and quarterback Russell Wilson took the brunt of it.

With 2:11 left in the third quarter and the Broncos trailing 28-7, Wilson found running back Jaleel McLaughlin with a pass on 2nd-and-goal, and the running back had seemingly broken the plane and scored a touchdown. But the referees ruled that he was tackled a yard short, and the Broncos opted to not challenge the call.

On 3rd down, running Javonte Williams took the hand-off from Wilson and rushed towards the endzone but was brought down before he could get in the endzone. However, replays suggested it was a close call.

Despite having 17 seconds on the play call to mull whether it was worth challenging the ruling, the Broncos ran a quick play and managed to get in the endzone. But in a cruel twist of fate, one of Denver's linemen was flagged for lining up offside, pushing the line of scrimmage back five yards.

The penalty forced the Broncos to settle for a field goal and stop their potential comeback short. After the play, a livid Payton was seen yelling at Wilson, who did not respond to his head coach's ire.

Sean Payton yells at Russell Wilson: Broncos HC sheds light on viral moment

Broncos HC Sean Payton

In the post-game press conference, Sean Payton explained that he was upset about the offside call by the referees, and the 4th-down play that the Broncos scored on before being penalized was the most 'frustrating part' of the entire sequence.

When asked to elaborate on his animated sideline conversation with Russell Wilson, Payton passive-aggressively responded:

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

The loss to the Lions was the Broncos' third in their last four games and saw them drop to 7-7. They are now 1.5 games behind the Kansas City Chiefs in the race for the AFC West division title. They also fell to 11th in the AFC standings but sit only one game behind the 8-6 Indianapolis Colts, the seventh seed in the AFC.

The Broncos' recent dip in form leaves them with a mountain to climb. However, their next three games are against the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders. All three teams have had an underwhelming season, and Denver will be the favorites to run the table and finish the season 10-7.