Broncos coach Sean Payton isn’t expecting a warm welcome in New Orleans

Sean Payton is happy about the short week.

Not only does the Broncos’ head coach have less time to dwell on an ugly 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, but there’s also less time to consider all the excitement and history to come with his return to New Orleans when Denver plays there Thursday night.

“It will be unique. One of the things we talk about with our players is try to handle all of those things early,” Payton told reporters Monday. “I’ve got a great wife — (the) innings is with the family, my children I think those around us know how challenging a short week is compared to a full week.

“Certainly, there will be emotions that will return there. … The amount of time I was there, I understand.”

History, of course, hardly needs to be reviewed. Payton spent 2006-21 coaching the Saints, won a Super Bowl in 2009 and paired with Drew Brees to form one of the most prolific coach-quarterback duos in NFL history.

Thursday night, naturally, includes a celebration of Brees, who is being inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame.

Payton acknowledged all that, but thought most of the adulation will go to the retired quarterback rather than the visiting head coach.

“I don’t think there’s a lot of flowers and warm fuzzies for your truth, and I understand that,” he said. “Listen, I can’t stand losing. It’s about our team and me as the head coach of the Broncos getting ready to play an early week and trying to play one of our best games.”

Payton knows this challenge well. The Superdome is one of the strongest venues in football. Both Denver and New Orleans are coming off losses and need to win to get back on track.

Then there’s, well, everything else.

“Luckily it’s a short week because I haven’t had a chance to dive into all the other stuff,” he said. “Drew will be inducted into their Hall of Fame. They also have a ring of honor, so that’s a separate event (and soon to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame). I’ve already reached out to him , I congratulated him and said, “This is the first of many.”

“I say that, but it’s about the game. It’s about victory. The importance of playing our best football in a short week. It’s about our team. I will discuss it with them tomorrow morning. “Hey, we understand the importance of getting our fourth win.” I think that’s number 1 and then it goes from there.”

Payton said last week that one of the keys he learned from years of playing Thursday nights is to make sure the game plan is filled with things players “know by heart,” even though Monday he added, “that doesn’t mean there aren’t any wrinkles. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a couple of ideas we want to dig deeper and introduce.”

Off the field, it’s a race to recover in just over 72 hours between the end of Sunday’s game and the team’s letter to the Bayou.

“We had recovery stations even after yesterday’s game and all day today,” he said. “It’s a recovery IV, guys coming in to catch up and do some film work. Obviously, practices change a lot, so you try to be as fresh physically as you are mentally for the game. The other thing that stands out when you do some studies, Thursday halftime leads tend to have a higher win percentage than a normal Sunday.

“Obviously fatigue can set in, so playing well early is important.”