The Broncos walked into Kansas City for their 2026 season opener and got hit with a night they’d rather erase immediately. From the opening drive, nothing looked settled, nothing looked clean, and nothing about the performance suggested a team ready to be talked about as a contender.
The biggest mess started on offense, where Bo Nix and Davis Webb both had rough first impressions in this spot. Webb was making his regular-season debut as a play caller, and Steve Spagnuolo made sure it was a miserable one.
The Broncos offense never found rhythm, never found much flow, and Nix was nowhere near his usual level against that defense. He opened the game with an interception, kept putting the ball in danger, and was sacked four times.
For a unit that looked disjointed from the start, it was a harsh reminder that execution and structure were both off.
Jaylen Waddle was supposed to change that equation, but he barely showed up. The Broncos got just one catch for two yards on three targets from him, which is about as quiet as it gets for a player brought in to matter.
His presence did help on Denver’s only touchdown drive, since the attention he drew helped create room for Evan Engram on the scoring play. Still, that was the extent of it.
Waddle also had a chance to help on a perfectly placed throw from Nix on a crucial third down, but he let it go through his hands. Whether the plan to feature him was flawed or the Chiefs were all over it, the result was the same: he was almost invisible.
The defensive side was just as ugly, maybe worse in a different way. Denver brought back nearly everyone from last season except John Franklin-Myers, who left for the Titans in free agency, but that continuity didn’t matter much once Kenneth Walker got rolling.
He shredded the Broncos for 173 rushing yards and 191 total yards from scrimmage, averaging 7.5 yards per carry and scoring two touchdowns. The bigger problem was how often Denver simply failed to finish plays.
The tackling was a mess across the board, whether it was Walker, Rashee Rice on his touchdown catch and run, Travis Kelce, or just about anyone else with the ball. There were missed tackles everywhere, and that kind of effort is the sort of thing Sean Payton will be furious about all week.
In Other News...
Broncos Fans Just Got An Early AFC West Opening
The Broncos are heading into Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season with a timely opening in the AFC West already taking shape, thanks to the way the Chargers stumbled out of the gate. Los Angeles dropped a significant upset to the Arizona Cardinals, and for Denver, that kind of early division shakeup can matter as much as anything that happens on the field in September. It also adds a little extra intrigue to a Broncos opener against the Chiefs, because the division race can start tightening or tilting before most teams have settled in.
For the Chargers, the loss brings back familiar questions about how quickly a team can adjust after coaching changes and whether recent history will follow them again into another season. The Broncos do not need to solve those problems themselves, but they can certainly benefit if Los Angeles spends the fall digging out of an early hole. In a division where every result tends to echo for months, Denver suddenly has a clearer path to make Week 1 count in a bigger way. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Get A Week 1 Opening Chiefs Fans Will Hate
Opening week already looks a little different for Kansas City, and Denver has reason to take notice. The Chiefs have ruled out starting tackle Josh Simmons and starting safety Chamarri Conner for the Broncos visit, leaving them thinner on both the edge of the offensive line and in the back end of the defense as the season begins.
For a Broncos team that is expected to be healthy, that kind of early shuffle can matter. Kansas City is now likely leaning on a less experienced tackle combination and a secondary built around several newer faces, which could hand Denver some favorable matchups for both the pass rush and the passing game when the division rivals meet. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Week 1 Plan Vs Chiefs Is Starting To Take Shape
The Broncos Week 1 roster picture against the Chiefs is beginning to clarify, and it comes with a little bit of familiar roster juggling. Denver is expected to promote fullback Adam Prentice and long snapper Mitch Fraboni from the practice squad to the 53-man roster for the season opener, a move that fits the way the team managed both players through final cuts and back onto the practice squad.
General manager George Paton has already confirmed the roster-management plan, and Sean Payton has also weighed in on how the team is handling the fullback spot. For Denver, it is a small but telling part of the opener prep, especially with the Chiefs waiting and the Broncos looking to settle on the pieces they want in place before the real games begin. [Read more 🡒]