Who would've thought the Denver Broncos would come out of Week 1 looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL? Against their rival Chiefs on "Monday Night Football," the Broncos scored just 10 points, tied for the second-lowest mark of the week, and finished with 176 total yards, the fewest in the league. Kansas City came in with Patrick Mahomes playing his first game back after tearing his ACL, and without starting left tackle Josh Simmons.
The Chiefs put up 392 total yards, including 220 rushing yards alone, the second-most in the league in Week 1, cruising to a convincing 31-10 victory. The offense looked explosive, the defense looked impossible to score on, and Denver never felt like it had a chance. Speaking after the blowout loss, Broncos head coach Sean Payton took full blame for the performance.
"Obviously not a great evening. Didn't do a lot well at all in the game," Payton said. "That starts with me, that starts with our coaching staff.
I thought they won, really, in every phase. "Regardless of who's calling the plays, when you have a game like that, and you're the head coach, it's frustrating, it's disappointing," he added. More news: Chiefs’ Undrafted Rookie Just Outperformed Three First-Round Picks More news: Jets Get Bad News on $40 Million Man After Injury Scare Saying the Broncos are the worst team in football right now might be an exaggeration.
This is the same team that won 14 games last season, and they were without Jonathon Cooper, one of their top edge rushers, who posted eight sacks a year ago. The Chiefs, meanwhile, looked good in every area of the game and don't appear to have lost a step at all. Reminder: this is still one of the greatest dynasties in sports.
But it's not just that Denver lost; it's how they lost. Never being in the game against a division rival in Week 1 is a bad look. Bo Nix, who'll be fighting for a new contract soon, didn't give Broncos fans any reason to believe he can be their guy long-term.
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