As it turns out, it was Sean Payton who couldn't hack it.
The Jets and Broncos met in an AFC grudge match on Sunday afternoon, in a battle of 1-3 squads. It wasn't a pretty matchup, and it ended in a 31-21 Jets victory.
Of course, this game was headlined by the Sean Payton jabs that took place in the preseason, when Payton labeled Hackett's head coaching stint in 2022 as one of the "worst coaching jobs in NFL history," among other things. Well, the Jets didn't waste much time reminding Payton of his words.
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It started with the Jets' official X/Twitter account, tweeting out a bit of shade of actor Kevin James, who portrayed Payton in a direct-to-Netflix film:
when you lose to the "offseason champs" pic.twitter.com/FzNIqGWZks
— New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2023
Sauce Gardner got in on the fun, tweeting a little mockery of Russell Wilson's famed, "Broncos Country, let's ride" catchphrase:
Jets Country.......LETS RIDE🐴
— SAUCE GARDNER (@iamSauceGardner) October 8, 2023
"It was a special game for Hack," Robert Saleh said before the game. "Obviously, being here a year ago. Racked up over 400 yards on them, put up 31 points, so I'm happy for him."
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While Hackett hasn't publicly commented on Payton's criticisms, the Jets were more than aware of the comments. Prior to the game, Jets tight end C.J. Uzomah led a rah-rah speech, where he placed some typical trash talk
"They made it personal, their coach made this s— personal," Uzomah said pregame. "Well f— him, and f— them. This ain't about them, this is about us getting back on the right track. Let's win this b— for Hack."
Win they did. The victory pushed the Jets to 2-3 on the season, and the Broncos spiraling to 1-4. Hackett earned a game ball for the win.
He who laughs last, and so on.