Six snaps. That was the total workload for fullback Adam Prentice in the Denver Broncos’ Monday night loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium, and the number tells part of the story right away.
Prentice had been a noticeable piece of the Broncos’ offense during the preseason, especially when the team got into short-yardage situations. Denver even elevated him from the practice squad for Week 1. But against Kansas City, he was barely used, and when the Broncos did need one yard, offensive coordinator Davis Webb didn’t lean on the setup that had worked before.
The pivotal moment arrived in the second quarter with 4:56 remaining and the game tied 7-7. Facing 3rd-and-1, Webb chose an empty set with Bo Nix in the shotgun and no back next to him.
That was the wrong shape for the moment. The Broncos weren’t just choosing a pass - they were removing the possibility of a real run threat, beyond a quarterback draw, even though Nix had already shown he couldn’t beat the Chiefs’ defense with his legs.
Prentice was on the field for the snap, but not in the backfield. He was split out wide as a receiver.
That was the strange part. After a preseason in which Denver had success handing the ball to Prentice in short-yardage spots and trusting the blockers to push for a yard, Webb opted for a spread look that has not been one of the Broncos’ stronger answers.
Nix’s pass fell incomplete, the drive ended with a punt, and Denver never seemed to find the same edge afterward. The Broncos were still on their own side of the field, and the game was very much alive, but the failed call seemed to drain some of the energy out of the offense.
Maybe Denver still wouldn’t have converted if Prentice had been lined up in the backfield. Maybe the Chiefs still would have stopped it.
No one can know that for sure. But the decision to go empty sent a clear message, and it wasn’t a confident one, either to the offensive line, to Prentice, or to the rest of the offense.
Webb’s choice reflected a lack of trust in a play that had already proven useful. It also came in his first game as a play-caller, which makes it understandable as a learning moment, but not any less notable.
In short-yardage football, you don’t want to take away the possibility of a run unless you absolutely have to. Just the threat of it can make a defense hesitate, and that split second matters.
When the Broncos waived Prentice at final roster cutdowns, they made it clear he would return to the practice squad and be elevated for Week 1. Special teams played a part in that decision, but Denver also wanted what he could give on offense.
Against the Chiefs, that part of his game was left on the sideline when it mattered most. Prentice is more valuable as a short-yardage runner or lead blocker than as a wideout on a 3rd-and-1, and Denver missed the chance to use him in exactly the kind of situation that should have fit him best.
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