Davis Webb has tried to make the run game the main actor in his opening scripts, to little avail.
The Broncos ran the ball four times on the opening drives of their first three games, which included J.K. Dobbins carries on their first offensive play against the Rams and Jaguars. That didn’t work. So Webb turned to three straight passes to open Denver’s game against the San Francisco 49ers last Sunday.
Different plays. Same result. Three snaps and a punt.
Everyone knows how slowly the Broncos have started games. It’s been the talk inside and outside Denver since Week 1, with people pointing to the NFL-low 3.3 . The next-closest team is Miami, at 4.8c. No other team is below 5.
Perhaps even more concerning than the Broncos’ poor first halves is their inability to get anything going on opening drives.
Offensive coordinators have an opening-drive plan they intend to follow. Coaches revere the “script” for the first series of the game, a sacred portion of the game where they believe they can dictate the terms of the contest.
“It’s easy to say we want a fast start. Who doesn’t?” coach Sean Payton said Tuesday. “Let’s focus on the attention to detail and then the other stuff will come.”
Instead, every defense that’s faced the Broncos has been the unit to impose its will. The Chiefs, Jaguars, Rams and 49ers have all been able to play with a lead, in part, because of the Broncos’ ineptitude when they touch the ball first.
On four opening drives, here’s what Denver’s offense has done:
— Three-yard sack, 2-yard rush, interception
— 4-yard rush, 1-yard rush, penalty, incompletion
— Negative 2-yard rush, 6-yard completion, incompletion
— 2-yard completion, incompletion, incompletion
That’s 12 plays for 10 yards total (not counting the penalty). An average of 0.83 yards per play.
, teams are averaging 26.19 yards on their first possession of the game. While offenses punt on those drives nearly half the time, the league average is 33% for scoring points. The Broncos have not done that once this season. They haven’t even managed a first down.
This was an issue last year, too. The Broncos have not scored a touchdown on their opening drive since Dec. 7, 2025, against the Raiders. Denver recorded five consecutive three-and-outs on its first possession from Week 3 to Week 7 last season.
Those struggles still don’t come close to the 2026 version, though. Denver still managed to accumulate 4.52 yards per play and scored seven times on its opening drives last year. The Broncos often had long possessions that ended with points on the board.
Across Payton’s tenure, the difference is even more pronounced. Between 2023 and 2025, Denver posted solid stats on its first drive: 5.05 yards per play, a 43% scoring rate and did not record a first down on only 18 opening drives.
What’s causing the downward trend? Aside from adding wideout Jaylen Waddle, the offensive personnel remains essentially the same. Webb has taken over play-calling duties, but Payton doesn’t think the offensive coordinator is the issue.
“It’s probably a combination of a bunch of things, but I’m not going to say it’s a script issue,” Payton said. “Some people have a long amount of openers, some not so. I think overall, we’ve got to become experts in the details.”
In Week 1, quarterback Bo Nix took a sack that set the offense back. He then threw an interception on a great play by Chiefs cornerback Mansoor Delane. A Waddle false start against the Jaguars turned third-and-5 into third-and-10. The Rams took down Dobbins behind the line of scrimmage on the first play . Wideout Courtland Sutton fell down on a route last Sunday.
“We all got our hand in it,” Sutton said. “I wouldn’t say it’s fair that the blame goes directly to Bo.”
Payton agreed, pointing out several reasons the offense isn’t clicking. An opening-drive touchdown could go a long way, especially this week against a Chargers defense that has forced a turnover on the game’s opening drive three straight weeks. The Broncos coach put it bluntly after Wednesday’s practice.
“Certainly this isn’t championship football,” Payton said about the team’s offensive struggles. “How quickly can we change those things?”
That’s the million-dollar question in Denver right now.
