The good, the bad and the ugly from Broncos’ loss to Chiefs - Broncos Wire
Well, that was pretty bad. In fact, that was atrocious.
The Denver Broncos could not have gotten off to a worse start to the 2026 season, getting beaten in every facet of the game in a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. The Chiefs ran over, around and through the Broncos when they had the ball and when that wasn't happening, the Broncos were hurting themselves with self-inflicted wounds.
The Chiefs looked like the team many people thought they would be coming into this game: a team looking to make a statement that they still belong in the conversation of best teams in the league. Meanwhile, the Broncos looked like the team many thought they would be going into this season: a team that greatly overachieved last season and wouldn't be prepared to back that up and do it again.
It's only one game, but the Broncos are going to have a myriad of things to clean up before Week 2.
There certainly wasn't much to put in this category for the Broncos. Evan Engram, who caught just one touchdown all season last year, caught one in the first quarter on a nice throw and catch from Bo Nix from 19 yards out. That is an encouraging sign for a player who had a disappointing 2025 season.
On offense, the Broncos did almost nothing well, and you can bet that the switch to Davis Webb as the team's playcaller is going to be called into question immediately.
The wide receiver duo of Courtland Sutton and Jaylen Waddle combined for 13 yards on three catches. More concerning was the fact that Waddle, who the team went out and traded for during the offseason, had almost no part in the offense. Nix did target him on a key third down in the third quarter, and the pass went right through his hands.
Defensively, the Broncos' defense looked nothing like the unit many feel is the best in the league. Patrick Mahomes did not even look that good for the Chiefs, but he didn't need to be when they rushed for 220 yards as a team, the third-most in Andy Reid's tenure as the team's head coach.
The pass rush was nearly nonexistent because the Chiefs kept the down-and-distance in their favor and rarely faced third-and-long situations, negating one of Denver's biggest strengths. All in all, the Chiefs were up for this game and the Broncos just weren't.
Tackling. That was the worst aspect of this game for the Broncos. Missed tackles on seemingly every offensive play the Chiefs ran. Walker was running through tackles and Broncos defenders were routinely out of position, with arms flailing, trying to make a play.
It was as bad of a performance in that department as you'll ever see at the professional level.
That should be the team's top focal point in practices and film sessions this week. That has to be cleaned up. Up next, the Broncos will host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 in a game scheduled for a 2:05 p.m. MT kickoff.
