10 Bite-Sized Takeaways from Broncos' Concerning 31-10 Loss to Chiefs

The Denver Broncos went on the road to take on the Kansas City Chiefs for the season opener, or at least, they were supposed to.

Given how badly the Broncos played on Monday Night Football, they would have been better off not showing up. It was a disaster from Denver's first possession, as the Chiefs did whatever, whenever they wanted, on their way to a big 31-10 win.

What did we learn? Here are 10 bite-sized takeaways from the Broncos' alarming 2026 debut.

Broncos' Short-Yardage and Run Defense Needs Work

The Chiefs did a great job in short-yardage situations, highlighted by the fact that at one point deep in the game, all their first downs came from the running game. This was an under-the-radar issue for the Broncos last year.

The Broncos lacked consistency as a rushing defense, and the Chiefs capitalized. Kenneth Walker II's 60-yard rushing touchdown on a 4th-and-1? Enough said.

Yards Were Left on the Field by the Offense

Not every play will be a big play, and offenses will have negative plays, but at Arrowhead, the absence of such strikes wasn't because of the Chiefs' defense; it was the fault of Denver's offense.

The Broncos had missed opportunities and failed plays because of dropped passes and bad blocks. You can live with some of those plays because it's the first game, after all, but the Broncos must focus on cutting out the negative plays and get to the bottom of why they left so many positive yards on the field.

Historically Bad Tackling

Kenneth Walker III breaks a tackle against the Broncos. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Missed tackles. What more is there to say?

The Broncos shot themselves in the foot defensively with missed tackles last year, the year before that, and the year before that, so should it really be a surprise that it was an issue in the season opener?

This time, though, it was on a historical level. The Broncos gave up 248 missed-tackle yards, which is the most in the history of the Next Gen Stats database. Wrap your brain around that.

This is Still Sean Payton's Offense

Davis Webb is the new play-caller, and although it's been said that he has put his own touches on the offense, that wasn't seen at Arrowhead Stadium — outside a handful of plays. What we did see was the same questionable play sequencing and situational play-calling, like an empty set on a crucial 3rd-and-1 and a woeful lack of commitment to the run game.

Maybe it was the Week-1 jitters, but the Broncos' offense was bad. And it mostly looked like the same old Payton scheme of the past few years.

Bo Nix Shows Accuracy Issues and Middle-of-the-Field Trouble

Nix is an accurate quarterback, but his ball placement can leave yards and opportunities on the field because his passes are too high, too low, or too far behind his target. He also still misses targets in the middle of the field, and we saw all of these types of throws on Monday night.

These were areas Nix needed to show growth in Year 3. However, this was his first full game back since his ankle injury, so we're still in a wait-and-see posture.

Special Teams Looks Strong

Jeremy Crawshaw looks on the cusp of being one of the best punters in the NFL. The coverage units did well overall, and the return game was strong.

After a slow start last year and preseason concerns about the third phase, the Broncos may have assuaged those fears and silenced the critics.

There's More to Broncos' Dropped Passes Than Poor Coaching

After the 2025 season ended in heartbreak, Payton fired the Broncos' receivers coach, Keary Colbert. Payton also highlighted drops as an issue before Colbert's dismissal, so it's reasonable to assume they played a role.

However, drops remained an issue in the opener, with Pat Bryant and Jaylen Waddle both failing to corral drive-sustaining catches that would have moved the chains.

Davis Webb Looked Ill-Prepared and Outmatched in His Debut

There is a lot of hype around Webb as the play-caller, but this game didn’t go his way. Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo outcoached Webb from start to finish.

It was Webb's first game, though. There's plenty of time for him to turn it around, but he looked far from ready to be a play-caller.

Nix Haters Have Renewed Energy

Nix had a terrible game. That doesn’t mean it was all on him or that there weren’t other issues, as there were plenty of problems with the Broncos' offense.

However, watching Nix's placement throughout, his lack of proper reads, two fumbles (one was a lucky break to keep the ball with Denver), and an interception, his doubters came out of Week 1 with plenty of ammunition.

Side note: keep an eye on Nix's speed. He looked slow against the Chiefs and couldn't outrun their interior defensive line, which is a major concern given his style of play.

Outplayed and Out-Prepared

Everything that could go wrong for the Broncos did. They were outmatched on both sides of the ball, with the only positives coming from their passing defense (minus tackling) and their special teams play.

Patrick Mahomes's day as a passer was lackluster, mainly because of how well Denver's coverage was.

Ultimately, the Broncos looked unprepared for the Chiefs in every other way. The Broncos have a good roster, but they certainly didn't play like it. That's on the coaches.

Sign up for our free Denver Broncos On SI newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Add us as a preferred source on Google