Broncos news: Denver’s putrid offense vs. Chiefs hit new Sean Payton era low

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There was a lot of hype around the Denver Broncos‘ offense coming into the 2026 season. Last season, Denver’s offense was good, but it lacked a few more parts that could have put the team over the edge. After trading for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and another year of Bo Nix working with Sean Payton, things were expected to go better for them in 2026.

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After the first game of the season, though, the expectations have tapered off a bit. The Broncos’ offense was put into a blender by Steve Spagnuolo and the Kansas City Chiefs‘ defense. They struggled to move the chains all night long, even when they were gifted good field position due to a Patrick Mahomes interception.

The result of the game was the worst offensive output for the Broncos in the Payton era.

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“Broncos offense finishes with 176 total yards — their lowest total in a game since Sean Payton became head coach in 2023,” Sheil Kapadia reported. “They had more yards in the Stidham playoff game last year.”

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Nix was ineffective all game long. The Broncos quarterback finished the game completing 60% of his 28 pass attempts for just 115 yards and one touchdown. He threw one interception, fumbled the ball once, and was sacked four yards as well. The run game was just as ineffective: RJ Harvey and JK Dobbins combined for just 61 rushing yards on fifteen attempts, as Denver was forced to throw the ball more as they went behind.

All in all, the Broncos got just nine first downs, were 2-of-12 on third downs, and held the ball for 26 minutes of the game. It was a rough start to the season for Denver, who just couldn’t get comfortable against a rejuvenated Chiefs defense. Waddle did not have a good first game as well, dropping several passes and failing to generate any offense for the team.

The Broncos will try to bounce back in Week 1, when they have their home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are coming off a comfortable 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Related: Bo Nix reveals biggest issue in Broncos’ MNF loss to Chiefs

Related: Broncos’ Sean Payton weighs in on lack of Patrick Mahomes sacks