The student has outperformed the teacher in wins. With the Broncos’ 21-17 comeback victory against the Eagles, Sean Payton recorded his 173rd career coaching win, surpassing his mentor Bill Parcells on the all-time coaching wins leaderboard.

The 173 wins place Payton in a tie with Jeff Fisher and John Harbaugh for 14th all-time. Notably, only Andy Reid (275) and Mike Tomlin (186) have more wins among active coaches.

“He and I spoke this past week,” Payton said. “No one keeps track of that kind of stuff … He shared fond memories about coaching in this division, as he coached in it forever. That included Joe Gibbs in Washington, Tom Landry, and Dick Vermeil. It remains a challenging division. I talked to him about playing in Philadelphia, and he agreed, reminiscing about playing in that old stadium. When facing a tough opponent like the Eagles on their turf, I told my team, ‘Forget the money, the car — that stuff means nothing, but you won’t forget these moments, this journey to London. Ultimately, that’s what you play for: making memories.’”

At 61, Payton kicked off his NFL coaching journey in Philadelphia as the Eagles’ quarterbacks coach from 1997-98. His last coaching positions, however, were under Parcells with the Cowboys, where he was an assistant head coach/quarterbacks coach in 2003 and 2004, followed by his role as assistant head coach/passing game coordinator in 2005. The Saints appointed Payton ahead of the 2006 season, coinciding with Parcells’ retirement from coaching that same year.

Payton will aim for his 174th career victory in a matchup against the Jets in London during Week 6.