CHICAGO -- It wasn't easy, it wasn't how he planned it, and it may not have even been suitable for framing, but Sunday's 31-28 victory for the Denver Broncos over the Chicago Bears will still always be Sean Payton's first with the franchise.
Owner/CEO Greg Penner presented Payton a game ball after the Broncos' comeback victory. Denver trailed 28-7 with 4 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third quarter. Payton grew up and played high school football in Naperville, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago before he played at Eastern Illinois University.