The Denver Broncos came out flat on Monday Night Football, leading to a blowout loss in their season opener. How they respond will tell us more about where this team is at and where they’ll ultimately be.
Denver Broncos three biggest concerns following Week 1 loss
Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II said it best after Denver’s loss on Monday that they have a long season ahead, in the context that there’s plenty of time to right the wrongs that took place in Week 1, but that the team needed some humble pie.
There’s nothing more humbling than getting gashed on the ground by a divisional rival and sputtering on offense on your own end. So where do the Broncos go from here?
Most fixable concern is tackling
The Chiefs ran the ball at will against the Broncos’ defense. Despite being one of the better run defenses last season, it didn’t matter against Kenneth Walker, who revitalized a component of the Chiefs’ offense they’ve been missing for a long time.
Denver’s defense had too many arm tackles, lunging at Walker, who has 212 pounds of athletic ability and muscle mass, reminiscent of the late muscle hamster Doug Martin. Walker’s calves and quads, combined with his upper body strength, made him a challenging task to tackle in the open field.
The Broncos’ defense didn’t just suddenly forget how to tackle — they failed to trust their technique, and they failed to trust their teammates to do their jobs. Much of Denver’s issues in stopping the run are a result of technique, and something that Sean Payton and Vance Joseph will emphasize this week after they review the Chiefs’ tape and move on to Jacksonville.
Out of all the concerns from Monday, tackling is the one that’s the most fixable.
The Broncos offensive line has multi-faceted issues
The offensive line, at least on first watch-through of the tape, looked rough from a pre-snap communication standpoint and from an execution standpoint. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Bo Nix was pressured on 45.5% of his dropbacks on Monday night against the Chiefs, which is the second-highest pressure rate in a game in his career.
I don’t know what the coaching points are for Denver’s offensive line, and I’m not going to pretend that I do, but for there to be consistent pressure on four-man rushes by Kansas City, and at times even when they rush three players, is concerning.
Nix was hit five times and sacked three times in Monday’s loss. While Denver’s signal caller struggled, it’s hard to expect him to thrive when he’s running around and trying to evade pressure more often than he has a clean pocket.
Pass protection is one thing, but running the football is the other concern. The Broncos had every opportunity to commit to the run game after they tied it up 7-7 in the second quarter, but they decided to throw the ball on 3rd and 2 and 3rd and 1, respectively, on two different possessions that ended up resulting in a punt.
Rookie running back Jonah Coleman hardly saw any action outside of special teams, despite the Broncos coaching staff ‘seeing enough’ of the rookie after a handful of preseason series. J.K. Dobbins finished the game with eight total carries. Sean Payton wasn’t pleased with Denver’s rushing numbers, and there’s a valid reason why.
He’s going to guide Davis Webb through the ups and downs — he’s not going to just pull the plug because things didn’t work in game one, but there is a sense of urgency for the offense to get out of this hole they’ve dug themselves in. For me, my biggest concern is more aimed at the offensive line after Week 1.
Penalties continue to hurt the Broncos when they make a positive play
One step forward, 10 yards back. That was the theme for Monday’s loss, outside of missed tackles and poor offensive execution.
There were several plays where the Broncos offense moved the chains for a first down or had great field position after Brandon Jones’ interception, and yet the offense found itself moving backward.
Penalties were an issue for them last season, and they were flagged seven times on Monday, as was Kansas City. Wide receiver Pat Bryant was called for two holding penalties that negated first downs, and Troy Franklin was called for offensive pass interference, which negated a first-down catch by him.
Some of the calls were 50-50, but the league is always going to be flag-happy early on in the season as they try to enforce some of the new rules and points of emphasis. Payton will tell you this himself — it all goes back to emphasizing and coaching up technique.
The urgency and race to improve are important as Denver’s schedule gets tougher. Perhaps not playing as much in the preseason is to blame for their sloppy start, but the coaching staff and the players aren’t going to use that as an excuse.
If the Broncos can nip these three concerns in the bud before Sunday, it will guarantee a better showing for them.