Broncos Face Criticism After Poor Performance Against Chiefs

WHO:

The Denver Post - Davis Webb, Bo Nix, Sean Payton, Jaylen Waddle, Marvin Mims, Mike McGlinchey, Asante Samuel Sr.

Pro Football Network - Stephen A. Smith, Colin Cowherd

WHAT:

Pro Football Network - The Broncos surrendered 247 yards after broken tackles, which accounted for 63.2% of the Chiefs' total yardage during the game.

Pro Football Network - The 21-point loss to the Chiefs is the worst margin in the regular season for the Broncos since a 41-10 loss to Baltimore in November 2024.

Pro Football Network - This loss marks the only other regular-season defeats worse than this one in the Payton era, including a 70-20 loss at Miami in September 2023 and a 42-17 loss at Detroit later that season.

Pro Football Network - The Broncos have not lost an opening-week game by multiple scores since a 34-10 defeat by Miami in 2005, a season in which they finished 13-3 and reached the AFC title game.

The Denver Post - The Denver Broncos lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31-10 in Week 1.

The Denver Post - Davis Webb's play-calling debut resulted in 10 points, nine first downs, and a 2-of-12 conversion rate on third downs.

The Denver Post - The Broncos had a total of 176 offensive yards, with only 61 yards gained on the ground.

The Denver Post - Bo Nix was sacked four times and fumbled three times during the game.

The Denver Post - The Broncos' first touchdown was a 19-yard pass from Nix to Evan Engram, facilitated by Jaylen Waddle drawing defenders.

The Denver Post - The Broncos incurred a total of six penalties during the game.

WHERE:

The Denver Post - The game took place at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

WHEN:

The Denver Post - The Broncos' next game is scheduled against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

WHY:

The Denver Post - Bo Nix attributed the offensive struggles to the players not putting Webb in a good position, stating, "The players did not make it easy on him today. Pretty pitiful, actually."

HOW:

The Denver Post - Webb utilized various offensive concepts, including deploying Jaylen Waddle out of the backfield and using multiple variations of two-back and multi-tight end sets.

The Broncos faced a tough defeat against the Chiefs, losing by 21 points, which is their worst regular-season margin since a 41-10 loss to Baltimore in November 2024. During the game, the Broncos allowed 247 yards after broken tackles, making up over 63 percent of the Chiefs' total yardage. This loss also marks one of the few regular-season defeats worse than those experienced in the Payton era, including a staggering 70-20 loss at Miami in September 2023.