The Denver Broncos can’t tackle.
If there’s one takeaway from that Week 1 game, it’s that.
Sure, Kenneth Walker ran like a man possessed. But Denver couldn’t stop him nor backup 5th-round rookie Emmett Johnson all game long.
Denver Broncos can’t tackle: All 220 Chiefs rushing yards came after contact
Missing a tackle or two is normal football. Missing more than a few is typical for Week 1 in the NFL, where teams don’t practice hitting in the preseason or training camp anymore.
But missing a tackle on basically every run is inexcusable.
Denver came into the season expected to be a top-10 defense. Last night, they looked like the worst defense in the league.
They couldn’t pressure Patrick Mahomes nearly as much as they’d hoped, and one of his two sacks was the result of being stepped on by his lineman. Even when Nik Bonitto went against a UDFA at left tackle, Mahomes was allowed to try and find receivers. Luckily, he was off when passing.
But the most glaring issue from the defense was their inability to tackle.
Kenneth Walker looked like Walter Payton out there on Monday Night. He ran through the line, pushed through contact, and even exploded down the sideline for a 60-yard touchdown to start the second half.
Appallingly, according to Pro Football Focus, all 220 of the Chiefs’ rushing yards came after contact. All of them. That’s insane.
That means the Broncos defense had a chance to tackle both Walker and Johnson on every positive run and yet couldn’t. Yikes.
It wasn’t just that Denver couldn’t tackle on runs, they couldn’t tackle period.
Another 165 passing yards—of Patrick Mahomes 184 total passing yards—came after contact.
All told, 95.2% of Kansas City’s yards came after contact.
Also, their 29.8% missed tackle percentage was the third-worst game for any defense since 2018.
One more stat to put this thing to bed:
The Chiefs ran for 220 yards. Denver’s total offensive output was a paltry 176 yards.
Can Denver’s defense improve going forward?
Of course, the hope is that Denver’s defense can tackle better as the season goes on.
Again, they don’t practice hitting as much as they used to in training camp. And starters rarely play much in preseason anymore.
That’s why Week 1 NFL games are more similar to preseason contests than regular season tilts.
But questions remain.
How much can Denver improve in tackling? And how quickly can they correct these issues?
This week they play a talented Jacksonville Jaguars team who made the defense look silly last December. Parker Washington is a rising star in the NFL, Trevor Lawrence looked elite vs. Denver in 2025, and Brian Thomas is back too.
Oh, plus Bayshul Tuten and Ameer Abdullah looked great against the Browns in Week 1. They’re the guys Denver should really focus on since the Broncos can’t stop the run to save their lives.
It’s plausible that the Jaguars run all over the Broncos, too. Then they face the Rams and 49ers. One team who will find their way on offense and another who already has.
Sean Payton talks about the quarter pole point in the season and knowing who your team is.
If the Denver defense can’t figure out how to tackle ASAP, they could be 0-4 at that quarter pole. That could end up spelling disaster for this supposed “Super Bowl or Bust” season.