It’s going to be a long short week at Dove Valley.
After an offseason of “we were thisclose,” the 2026 Denver Broncos got socked in the jaw in a season-opening, blowout loss to arch-rival Kansas City. Touted as having one of the leagues’ best rosters over the summer, and coming off a 14-3 season that ended one game short of the Super Bowl last January – and having decided to pretty much run it all back with those same dudes – the Broncos traveled to KC full of confidence and swagger.
They left with their tails between their legs.
And they left KC without their collective “man cards.” The Chiefs simply snatched away Denver’s manhood by dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football from the very first series.
Pretty much nothing went right for Denver. Did anyone – with the possible exception of Evan Engram – have even a decent night?
New offensive play-caller Davis Webb never found his footing or the right play mix. Third-year quarterback Bo Nix had perhaps his worst game as a pro. The group of talented receivers dropped passes and committed costly penalties. The running game was a non-factor.
However the most disappointing group was the performance of the highly touted offensive line. Called by many the league’s best unit, they were completely manhandled by KC’s aggressive defense.
Perhaps they’ve spent a little too much time admiring their collective Pro Football Focus ratings?
They weren’t the only position group that got owned. The Broncos’ defensive front was dominated by the Chiefs’ makeshift offensive line, which featured an undrafted, rookie free agent starting at left tackle… and he had never played the position before. Kahlil Benson turned Nik Bonitto into a ghost. Denver’s pass rush against a below-average Patrick Mahomes was negated, while the previously dormant KC running attack, led by Kenneth Walker’s 173 rushing yards, trampled Vance Joseph’s vaunted Denver D. It was a different Mahomes. He was ineffective as a downfield passer most of the night, instead relying on short tosses and a KC running game that racked up an obscene total of 220 yards.
Denver’s tackling was abhorrent, and that’s being kind.
Safe to say it was Denver’s worst defensive performance since Miami hung 70 points on them back in September of 2023.
The good news is that it’s just one game, and a road contest at that. No reason to panic, but there’s plenty of important stuff to work on before Jacksonville – a team that smoked Denver at Empower Field last season – arrives next Sunday.
As they attempt to regroup, the Broncos’ concern needs to center around the fact that this Denver roster has had difficulty against the most physical NFL teams. For example, in previous seasons, the Jim Harbaugh-led Los Angeles Chargers have bullied Denver. This time, it was the Chiefs who did the same. The Jags have that capability, as well. And it doesn’t get easier after that.
It’s up to the Broncos to step up and match the other guys’ physicality.
After that brutal day in Miami three seasons ago, Vance Joseph’s unit got immediately better. Something similar needs to happen again, and quickly.
As for the offense, it all starts up front, of course, where the league’s highest-paid O-line needs to have performance match paycheck once again. A dose of nasty is needed. After that, Nix will need to play a whole lot better as a passer, a decision-maker and even a ball carrier if the talented offense is going to click at all.
Training camp may not have been Club Med, but it was obviously not a breeding ground for toughness this time around. Therefore, the Broncos, as a whole, need to take a long look in the mirror this week and decide if they want their man cards back, because without those, this ugly start will turn into an ugly season very quickly.
