Kidding! Sort of.

“He’s a first-rounder, drafted by Sean Payton,” Bubby Brister, the former Broncos quarterback, texted me Tuesday morning when I asked about Bo Nix’s miserable Monday night in Kansas City. “He has a great team around him and some of the best fans in the league.”

Mind you, some of those “best fans” are getting Bubby Blistered on social media right now. The buzzards on Xwitter came circling after Nix threw for just 131 yards while suffering four sacks, three fumbles, two turnovers and an interception, the kind of numbers that led to a 31-10 season-opening loss to the Chiefs.

“I’m not worried about Bo one bit,” ex-Broncos QB Jake Plummer added over the phone.

“The (bad) things that happened in the (Chiefs) game are fundamentals. Tackling is really important. As is standing and throwing the ball at your target. As is ball control, protecting the ball. These are things I’d rather see now than in Week 14, and have them land on their faces and miss the playoffs. Let’s peak at the right time.”

While — OVERRATED! NOT MY QB! — can’t stop pushing the “send” button, Brister says ¶¶Òőapountry should wait before pressing the “panic” one.

“As Sean Payton would say, everybody has to do their job!” offered Bubby, “And do their job better than last night. Period.”

Yes, Nix was a disaster, especially with ball placement. But that dumpster fire had help fanning the flames. The offensive line, from snaps to protection, struggled to match its preseason hype. When Nix’s wideouts weren’t dropping balls, they were struggling to get any kind of separation from Kansas City defenders.

Nix has never had the prototype “bazooka” release that scouts love, and continues to be reluctant to throw anything across the middle of the field. Yet, like his coach, No. 10 does better work in October and November than over the first three weeks of the regular season.

Over his career, Nix is now 24-11 lifetime as a Broncos starter in the regular season, His lifetime September touchdown-to-interception ratio is 9-9. His career September passer rating is 74.6, the lowest of any regular-season month and more than 15 points lower than his career mark (90.0).

But even for an opener, Nix’s sloppiness was un-Bo-lievable, his carelessness with the ball alarming, given the stage. He threw a pick into double coverage on his first series. With 35 seconds left in the third quarter, down 24-10 at his own 34, he let the ball squirt free, and the Chiefs recovered to ice the evening.

“We know this is not going to be the whole season for us,” Nix told reporters Monday.

It’s not, and there’s a reason Payton is Mr. October. Marathon, not a sprint.

That said, when the pistol fired to start the 2026 AFC West 5K, the Chiefs reached over and gave Nix a wedgie that could be heard all the way to Leavenworth.

“5-12,” one longtime Broncos season ticket holder texted me Monday night.

“Boy, do you have a lot to write about!” texted another.

On an evening when Patrick Mahomes looked painfully average (15 for 27 passing, 184 yards), that should’ve mattered. It didn’t, because the Broncos’ tackling, new offensive play-caller Davis Webb and Nix were infinitely worse.

The Chiefs came out as if they were itching for a fight. The Broncos came out as Vance Joseph’s defense missed 28 tackles, per Next Gen Stats. The Chiefs’ new tailback, ex-Michigan State star Kenneth Walker III, knifed through the Broncos like they were Rutgers or Purdue. Kansas City resembled a hungry, motivated Super Bowl contender, while the Broncos came off as disinterested, entitled and soft. Run it back got run the heck over.

But besides the defense, the biggest disappointment was the debut of the Bo & Davis Show, the duo billed as the NFL’s next hot play-caller/QB combo.

Only instead of Shanny and Purdy, or Johnson and Caleb,

While Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was playing chess, Webb appeared to be playing Block Blast on his phone. On one third-and-1 late in the first half, game tied at 7-7, instead of running the ball, While down two TDs, the Broncos repeatedly let the play clock tick down to 5 seconds or fewer before snapping the ball.

“This kind of game just wakes you up as a player,'” Plummer said. “‘Oh, (expletive), we better dial it in and rally around each other.'”

“Nasty wake-up call,” Nix offered after the game.

More like a walking nightmare. The tone for the evening was set on the Broncos’ first drop back, as Nix, Captain Elusive, wound up getting sacked. On third-and-11, he got smoked. Nix felt heat in the pocket. That wasn’t new. He ducked and weaved. Also not new. But the next part was: No. 10 fired off a semi-wounded duck that was easily picked off by Chiefs rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Two former Broncos, darned good ones, told me Tuesday that Nix needs to set his feet when he throws and instead of sliding from side to side. They also think that’s fixable.

“We know we have to be better,” Nix told reporters. “There (are) a lot of guys in that locker room that are going to take ownership and going to be better.

“And it starts with me. It starts with our offense, and we’re going to be better. And we have to … we don’t have a choice.”

Not anymore. Not considering some of the whispers that have trickled out from behind Payton’s orange and blue curtain. The buzz a few months ago was how the Broncos almost turned over the keys to Bill Belichick. The buzz before kickoff was an ESPN report that Broncos coaches reached out to the retired Brees, now 47, this past January after Nix broke his ankle, just to see if the old dog had any hunt left.

After that?

Woof.

“Hard to win on the road, especially on Monday night,” noted Brister, who still managed to do both in his salad days. “The Chiefs played really well on both sides of the ball.

“I think Bo will be fine. One game doesn’t make a season.”

Sure doesn’t. But it can leave one hell of a scar.

Those descriptors are probably enough to capture the tenor of the Broncos’ locker room after a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Denver got embarrassed on national television, and will now spend the week trying to rebound from the third-worst defeat of the Sean Payton era.

Here is The Denver Post¶¶Òőap stock report on the loss.

Stock up

Zach Allen: Even in a game where Denver’s defense was dismal, Allen still managed to post two sacks. Albeit, one of them came when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemingly tripped over his own offensive lineman, but the defensive lineman tied for the team lead in pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. He also didn’t miss a tackle — an anomaly for Denver’s defense Monday.

Without Jonathon Cooper, the Broncos’ pass rush is relying even more on Allen to generate interior rush. Monday was a bad night for Denver’s entire defense, no doubt, but it wasn’t at the fault of its star defensive tackle.

Evan Engram: Engram was the capper to a beautiful Broncos’ scoring drive in the first quarter. Denver lined up Jaylen Waddle in the backfield and Engram was the lone receiver to the left side of the field. Waddle ran a short curl route, while the tight end sneaked behind the defense towards the back left pylon. He got wide open, and Nix found him for an easy touchdown.

First of the year for

: ESPN

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)

That play was a hint of what the Broncos’ offensive play-calling could look like this season. Engram said earlier this summer that Waddle’s addition was going to help Denver’s offense a lot, saying “every time he’s on the field you have to account for him.”

Engram played 32 snaps Monday, 13 more than fellow tight end Adam Trautman and 19 more than Nate Adkins. His four catches for 43 yards led the team. He only had two games that crossed that threshold last season.

Pat Bryant: The darling of training camp was arguably the Broncos’ best offensive player. On Denver’s lone touchdown drive, Bryant recorded three catches for three first downs. He led the team in targets with six and recorded four catches for 42 yards.

Interestingly, Bryant split his time across the formation, playing 10 snaps in the slot and 12 on the outside on passing downs, according to PFF. But even Bryant¶¶Òőap night wasn’t without blemishes. The second-year wideout committed a holding penalty inside the 5-yard line that backed up the Broncos’ offense after being flagged for a hold earlier in the game. Bryant took accountability for the hold near the goal line after the game, saying it was a bad penalty.

Jeremy Crawshaw: Never a good sign when a team’s punter is a “winner” of the night, but Crawshaw was on the field plenty Monday. The second-year punter boomed six punts for 314 yards, an average of 52.3 yards per punt. He pinned the Chiefs inside the 20-yard line three times and only had one touchback.

Kansas City’s offense was backed up for most of the night — not that it mattered much — and Crawshaw was a large part of that. Denver fans just hope they don’t have to see No. 16 on the field as much at any other point this season.

Stock down

Bo Nix: Courtland Sutton said Nix was “pacing like a mountain lion” ahead of Week 1. And while Nix said he wasn’t “necessarily filled with rage” after the game, the quarterback certainly did not play like himself. Nix played one of the worst games of his career, going 17-of-28 for 131 yards, good for a passer rating of 69.2.

Nix prides himself on limiting negative plays and turnovers. Monday night, he was sacked four times — tied for the most in his career — and coughed up the football three times (a career-high). He also threw an interception on the first drive of the game, gifting Kansas City an early score.

Nix did face significant pressure all night. The Chiefs forced Nix to flee the pocket several times and by the end of the game, it appeared the quarterback had lost some faith in the Broncos’ pass protection. He completed just 30.8% of his passes when under pressure, for a measly 11 yards. Not a good start to a massive year for Denver’s QB1.

Trench play: Arguably the most alarming issue from Monday night¶¶Òőap drubbing was the Broncos’ play at the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs’ offensive and defensive lines manhandled Denver’s respective units.

The Broncos couldn’t run the ball, couldn’t protect Nix, rarely pressured Mahomes and certainly couldn’t stop Kenneth Walker III. Denver’s units up front are expected to be the strength of this team, which won’t win many games if those two groups play as poorly as they did Monday.

“We didn’t play well enough, we didn’t execute well enough and that¶¶Òőap how you get your ass kicked in the NFL,” right tackle Mike McGlinchey said.

Alex Singleton and the linebackers: Hardly any defensive player was spared from the tackling bug the Broncos had Monday, but Singleton and Justin Strnad had particularly brutal nights. Singleton missed five tackles, got stiff-armed by Chiefs rookie running back Emmett Johnson and committed a personal foul.

Stiff arm. Juke. Rookie Emmitt Johnson pulling out all the moves on this catch-and-run

DENvsKC on ESPN
Stream on

— NFL (@NFL)

Singleton was not overly concerned about the poor tackling postgame.

“We’re going to be fine. We’re gonna work on it this week, we’re going to do what we need to do and we’re going to be fine,” Singleton said.

Davis Webb: We saw glimpses of what a Webb-led offense could do Monday night, but the rookie play-caller’s debut was largely a disaster. Six of Denver’s 11 full offensive drives ended without a first down. The Broncos managed just 61 rushing yards. Prized acquisition Waddle had one catch for 2 yards.

It¶¶Òőap hard to get into a rhythm as a play-caller when your team is consistently behind the sticks, but Webb had also made some puzzling play calls. On a third-and-one near midfield, Denver went empty and failed to convert. The Broncos’ screen game was a non-factor, J.K. Dobbins was MIA in the first half and the Broncos committed a delay of game and used a timeout in the second half to avoid another one.

Nix put the blame on himself and the players in the postgame, saying “we just didn’t put anybody in a good spot today.” That¶¶Òőap true, but fans’ scrutiny will continue to be directed at Webb if the Broncos’ offense doesn’t rebound next Sunday.

The safety was baffled by the stat that told the story of the Denver Broncos’ 31-10 drubbing at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. The Broncos missed 28 tackles Monday night, including eight defenders who failed to bring down a runner multiple times. The Broncos’ 29.8% missed tackle rate was the third-worst in an NFL game since 2018, while their 247 missed tackle yards allowed were the most by any defense in that same span, according to Next Gen Stats.

The staggering numbers don’t stop there: Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker’s 144 rush yards after contact tonight ranked ninth out of 5,386 running backs since 2022, according to . For reference, no other back surpassed 100 yards after contact in Week 1, according to Next Gen Stats.

Two of Kansas City’s touchdowns were the direct result of multiple missed tackles, including Rashee Rice pinballing off Riley Moss and Jonah Elliss for a 13-yard touchdown. Moss missed another one when Walker got outside the defense on a 60-yard touchdown run.

It got so bad that even backup running back Emmett Johnson got in on the fun in the fourth quarter, making Alex Singleton and Hufanga miss on a third-down conversion for the Chiefs.

“We didn’t do a good job tackling at all,” Hufanga told The Post after the game.

Every single Broncos starter other than Zach Allen and Nik Bonitto missed a tackle Monday night at Arrowhead Stadium, according to Next Gen Stats. In the lead-up to the game, Denver stressed the importance of tackling Walker, who’s one of the most elusive backs in the league. At one point, Denver defensive players were pleading with each other to try to wrap up the reigning Super Bowl MVP.

“This ain’t us. We need to tackle him, get him to the ground,” defensive end Sai’vion Jones said about the messaging on the field.

Instead, Walker had a field day in his Kansas City debut. His 173 yards were the most by a Chiefs back since 2012 and his 14 forced missed tackles were the most by any Kansas City player since 2018.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ pedestrian stat line in his return — 15 of 27 for 184 yards — was merely an afterthought Monday night. Mahomes was the only quarterback in the NFL not to complete a pass over 10 yards downfield in Week 1. He simply had to turn, hand the ball to Walker, and watch his new teammate gash the Broncos’ defense.

“We played a great back, I would say the best pure runner in the league, and in order to beat a guy like that you have to tackle well,” linebacker Justin Strnad said.

So what happened to Denver’s defense Monday night? This was the second-best rushing defense in the NFL last season, a group that surrendered more than 100 yards to just one running back, Colts star Jonathan Taylor.

Jones pointed to the unit’s lack of experience tackling in training camp and in the preseason. Teams don’t do live tackling drills during training camp and the Broncos’ starters just got a handful of drives in the preseason.

“We ain’t tackled somebody since preseason, especially if you’re a starter, so just not having that experience coming up in the first game played a major factor,” Jones said.

Denver also lost defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers in the offseason.

Most players were frank in their assessment. Monday’s efforts were not nearly good enough. Not when you’re playing the Chiefs. Not when you’re trying to contend for a Super Bowl. Not when you’re aiming to establish yourself as an AFC contender.

The Broncos will certainly aim to address the issue in practice this week. Denver does circuit drills, tackling drills and uses a moving tackling robot during practice to practice tackling. The road ahead isn’t any easier. While Jacksonville Jaguars running back Bhayshul Tuten isn’t Walker, he forced seven missed tackles on rushes Sunday, tying for the league lead in Week 1, according to .

If Denver wants to avoid a 0-2 start, it’ll need to fix one of the core parts of its highly paid and highly regarded defense. The Broncos’ championship aspirations could be in jeopardy if they don’t.

Given an opponent and stage to prove last season was not a fluke, Denver got punched in the face.

A mirror was held up to one of the best teams in the AFC, an organization with Super Bowl aspirations, and the reflection was gag-reflex ugly.

The Broncos fumbled. They bumbled. Their quarterback threw a pick on the first drive. The new offensive coordinator looked miscast. The defense missed tackles like Angel Hernandez missed calls. And they failed to capitalize on a future Hall of Famer treading in mediocrity because they could not stop Kenneth Walker.

“Not a good evening. In all the key factors. … they rushed the ball, we didn’t. That starts with me, the coaching staff,” coach Sean Payton said matter-of-factly. “I thought they won in every phase.”

Chiefs, Kenneth Walker bludgeon Broncos, 31-10, in Denver’s ugly season-opening loss in Kansas City

This set up as a night for the Broncos to creep into Kansas City's head, to let them know that the AFC West runs through Denver. It was supposed to be a memorable humid evening that earned a nickname worthy of the first-ever win over Patrick Mahomes in eight tries at Arrowhead Stadium.

Pity replaced a potential victory.

The Broncos were embarrassed, their offensive approach coming across as impatient and their defensive effort incompetent.

The 31-10 loss was mortifying, the tomahawk chant and pounding drums echoing in ears long after the Broncos boarded their charter flight home.

This wasn't the clumsy performance against Tennessee, a season-opener that went unpunished because of Cam Ward's awfulness. Or the last-second collapses at the Chargers or Colts.

This was the Chiefs, the measuring stick. The Broncos wanted to show off their old roster and their new toy, Jaylen Waddle. Big strikes. Gash plays.

They planned to flip the script and play with a lead after posting an unsustainable 11-2 record in one-score games during the regular season a year ago. To make Mahomes uncomfortable, something they actually did, but it mattered little when Walker transformed into a hybrid of Priest Holmes and Larry Johnson.

"When you invest that much money in a player, we felt like they were going to be under center more," Payton said. "And they did that."

With Walker on the roster, the Chiefs wanted a street fight. And when the Broncos tasted leather, beginning with Walker carrying the ball seven times for 32 yards on the opening drive, they didn't punch back.

Payton lamented the discrepancy in time of possession and the awful field position. Pick a stat and the Broncos got worked.

This was capitulation reserved for the Nuggets against the Timberwolves in the postseason. This was a surrender last witnessed in Las Vegas. At least the Nuggets and Avs had the decency to wait until the playoffs to get pantsed.

The Broncos did it on opening night, which will start a chorus of criticism that they are imposters, their 14-3 record the result of luck and miracles that have reached their expiration date.

The disappointment began to build during the Broncos' initial drive. It brought anticipation because coach Payton had turned over the play-calling to Davis Webb. It could not have gone worse.

"I feel like we let him down," Nix said. "Actually, it was pretty pitiful."

Nix committed cardinal sins for his position: don’t take sacks, don’t throw picks. He did both in the first three plays.

He eschewed an open Waddle -- seriously, he is on the team even if it is difficult to tell from the box score -- in the right flat on first down, and was pulled down for a loss as he attempted to escape. After a two-yard run by J.K. Dobbins, Nix forced a pass on third-and-11, the badly under thrown ball intercepted by cornerback Mansoor Delane.

Nix has played worse, but it was during his rookie season. No one expected him to go 17-for-28 for 131 yards.

Trailing 7-0, the Broncos turned to Pat. Just not that one. Receiver Pat Bryant, not star Pat Surtain II, unlocked the Broncos’ clenched first. He caught three passes on the second drive, all for first downs. But even he spoiled his night with multiple holding penalties.

The drive briefly steadied Nix. And for Waddle to make his first impact. He attracted multiple defenders, leading tight end Evan Engram to get a free release to the pylon for the touchdown, tying his total for last season when the Joker became the Ghost.

In hindsight, it was the last time the game was winnable. Oh, sure they had a chance after Mahomes threw an interception that was returned to the 5-yard line, but even had the Broncos scored a touchdown there is no reason to believe the outcome would have changed.

As the teams settled in, the Broncos began to learn new lessons, the most sobering of which was that they weren't physical enough.

They should have known that Mahomes would not be asked to perform magic nine months removed from ACL surgery on his left knee. But the Broncos rushed with too much aggression, leaving open lanes for him to scramble, as he did on the opening 15-yard touchdown, and Walker to meander through unbothered and undeterred.

Mahomes started the game 2-for-12, more focused on getting rid of the ball quickly than on accuracy. He finished 15 for 27 for 187 yards.

The Broncos were poised to sell out to stop Walker. They knew it was coming. And he still dog-walked them.

With Eric Bieniemy back as the offensive coordinator, the Chiefs did everything but run the CU wishbone from the early 1990s. After his last game with the Seahawks, running back Walker received a trip from Disney. After his first game with the Chiefs, he will need a trip to physical therapy.

Showing the patience of Le’Veon Bell and the power of a sledgehammer, Walker rushed for 173 yards on 23 carries. His 14 attempts at halftime were more than any Chiefs back had against Denver last season.

Per NextGen stats, the Broncos missed 28 tackles, allowing for 247 extra yards, including a pair on Walker's 60-yard touchdown run where he ran through Riley Moss and dodged Brandon Jones.

"They did exactly what they came in here to do. They ran the ball really well," safety Talanoa Hufanga said. "We didn’t do a good job at all."

As Walker left the field, fans chanted, "Kenneth! Kenneth! You are the best!"

No one was compelled to argue.

The Broncos looked stale, their decision to favor continuity over free agent additions now firmly under scrutiny.

The offense looked surprised, if not unprepared.

All the talk of being intentional in the use of Waddle became a mirage. He had one catch for two yards. Dobbins said he was ready for 100 carries. He was not a factor, and rookie Jonah Coleman never touched the ball.

Last season, Nix sprinkled pixie dust when things went wrong. The Chiefs took the wand and broke it over his helmet. He fumbled three times. He was sacked four times. He was indecisive. There was no issue with his surgically-repaired right ankle. His head brought questions, like, "What was he thinking?"

Of course, not all is lost. Not even close.

It was one game.

But if the Broncos want to run it back, they can't get walked over like this ever again.

1. Shameful debut for D: Kenneth Walker III treated the Broncos’ defense the way Texas coach Steve Sarkisian treated Holly Rowe. The Chiefs’ new RB1 dissed them. He dismissed them. He ran away from them. And he did it all night long. With six minutes left in a laugher, Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, had rambled for 173 yards on 23 carries and had scored twice. The Broncos are now 0-5 under coach Sean Payton when allowing a rusher to gain 120 yards on the ground or more. Good thing the Broncos didn’t sign Walker as a free agent. They never would’ve used him. At the half, Payton had thrown it three times more (17 attempts) than he’d run it (six rushes). On the road. Bo Nix looked like a rookie QB. Davis Webb looked like a rookie play-caller. Tom Cruise showed up. But of all the layers of awful that clouded one of the worst season-openers in recent Broncos history, the lowest of an evening of lows might’ve been the one thing ¶¶Òőapountry thought they could count on. Not anymore.

Chiefs, Kenneth Walker bludgeon Broncos, 31-10, in Denver’s ugly season-opening loss in Kansas City

2. Missed tackles were fatal: The Broncos were often their own worst enemy for most of the the opening three quarters -- especially when it came to missing tackles. Sure-handed guys routinely let Chiefs skill guys squirt free, time and again. And it was a team effort, in all the worst ways. Alex Singleton. Jonah Elliss. Jahdae Barron. But Riley Moss's whiff on the Chiefs' opening drive of the second half might've been the most painful of all. On fourth-and-1 at the Chiefs' 40, Walker stretched the Broncos' defense out to the left hashmark so only Moss was left on the edge. Moss dove at Walker's feet, and the ex-Michigan State star jumped out of it and kept going with nothing but Missouri green grass in front of him. If there was one defensive play that summed up a disappointing start for the Orange and Blue, it might've been that.

3. Where was Jaylen Waddle again? At the start of the fourth quarter, the Broncos' "X" factor, Jaylen Waddle, had touched the ball three times. He'd recorded just one reception for 2 measly yards. Waddle's drop of a hot potato from Nix with 10:02 left in the third quarter ended the Broncos' first drive of the second half. And it was a painful end, given that Denver trailed 21-7 at the time and needed a response after a long Walker run for a score. Given the stage and the stakes, Waddle's Denver debut could hardly have gone much worse. Insult to injury, ESPN's Troy Aikman said that Payton had told his wife to draft Waddle in her fantasy league. So at least Sunshine Sean has got some explaining to do on the home front before he has to face any heat from the heathen media again.

4. Kelce's hold was missed, but we saw lots of wedding photos: It's tough enough to win at Arrowhead without the zebras pulling out their red jerseys to help the home cause. In the first half, ESPN gifted us repeated shots of Tom Cruise sitting next to Taylor Swift. Then we got Jason Kelce standing next to Taylor Swift. Then we got photos of play-by-play man Joe Buck walking into Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding this past summer. But even the Worldwide Leader called out what the refs wouldn't on the Chiefs' first drive. Patrick Mahomes capped off a short field following a Bo Nix pick by scrambling 15 yards for a score and a 6-0 KC lead. That wound was bad enough, but replays instantly added to the salt. Video showed that while Mahomes ran past them, Travis Kelce had both arms wrapped in almost a bear hug around Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga in front of the goal line. No call. Naturally.

Sean Payton’s team couldn’t tackle, couldn’t run the football, couldn’t find any offensive rhythm and couldn’t slow down a galloping Kenneth Walker III or a not-yet-sharp Patrick Mahomes on Monday Night Football. The end result: A 31-10 beatdown that took a battering ram to all of the offseason good vibes emanating from Broncos Park.

The AFC West title defense is off to a reeling start.

So, too, is the Davis Webb play-calling era.

Mahomes and Co. served a powerful opening salvo to this season after a 6-11 2025 campaign and in the face of losing three of four to Denver over the past two seasons.

They did so on the back of new running back Walker, who rushed for 173 yards to power the Chiefs to a dominant performance on the ground.

One of the first stats Payton finds after games is rushing differential. The numbers told the tale of a bludgeoning at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs rolled to 220 rushing yards powered by Walker and, surprisingly, Mahomes playing in his first game off a torn left ACL and LCL nine months ago.

It was the most rushing yards surrendered by Denver’s defense since the New York Jets piled up 234 in Week 5 of the 2023 season.

Early on, it wasn’t just the yardage, but the timing. Mahomes scampered in for a 15-yard touchdown to open the scoring and turned a third-and-long into a first down with his legs.

Walker, Kansas City’s prized free agency addition, did exactly what he was given $14 million a year to do: Provide a jolt to the Chiefs’ ground game, which the club simply has not had in recent seasons.

He dominated from the start, running through, around and past Broncos defenders.

The Broncos, meanwhile, planned to invigorate their ground game this fall by not only getting J.K. Dobbins back healthy and drafting Jonah Coleman in the fourth round, but also by leaning on what Payton and offensive coordinator Webb said all offseason would be a redoubled commitment to running the football.

That went out the window quickly in the first half on Monday.

Nix dropped back 19 times in the first half compared to just six rushes for the Broncos offense. On 12 first-down snaps, Denver ran it four times. One was negated by a holding call and the three others generated 13 yards.

Of all the offensive points of emphasis this offseason, perhaps none were more frequently cited than early down efficiency and run game consistency.

Neither showed up for the Broncos in Week 1.

Dobbins had just two first-half carries. Webb opted for an empty formation on a first-half third-and-1 after a preseason and training camp spent leaning on heavy personnel and fullback Adam Prentice in such situations. It turned into a nothing-available incompletion for Nix and one of five bad possessions for Denver in the first half.

Around a beauty of a 55-yard touchdown drive, the Broncos’ other first-half marches ended in a Nix interception and four punts. Those four punts featured a total of one first down.

By the time the Broncos got their hands on the ball for the first time in the second half, they trailed by 14 and were on the beleagured end of a 183-23 rushing differential.

Even when Mahomes gifted Denver tremendous field position in the third quarter, the offense couldn’t take advantage. Backed up to his own 2-yard line, the three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback threw a ball over the middle directly to Denver safety Brandon Jones, who ran it back to the 8-yard line and set the Broncos up with first-and-goal.

A holding penalty marred the red zone chance from the start, however, and Denver ended up losing 8 yards in three plays and settling for a short, Wil Lutz field goal.

Nix and his new play-caller, Webb, struggled to find anything resembling the flow they described through training camp and the preseason. The third-year quarterback was sacked four times — just the third time he’s been sacked that many times in 35 NFL starts — and turned the ball over twice.

When he had the ball knocked out of his hand late in the game and was belted to the ground one more time, he sat, facing his own end zone with his legs outstretched, still and likely pondering what had gone so wrong in such an anticipated opener.

Part of what made Kansas City domination all the more stunning: It was exactly the kind of game Payton and Joseph predicted in the lead-up.

“You kind of hear their commitment to running the ball more,” Payton said last week. “They selected (rookie Emmemtt Johnson), who we thought was a real good player and then they signed a pretty highly-regarded free agent, so you pay attention to that.

“Their commitment to running the ball, I think, is evident in the offseason.”

Joseph said he thought teams would try to dink and dunk against Denver’s defense in an attempt to manage down-and-distance and keep the Broncos’ vaunted pass-rush in the starting gates.

That is largely how Kansas City’s offense operated Monday night. Repeatedly shoddy tackling from Denver’s defenders, though, helped several potentially short or moderate games rupture into big plays.

Mahomes was nearly stopped on his 15-yard scoring run early but stepped out of two tackle attempts and got to the end zone. Rashee Rice made Riley Moss miss and then bounced off Jonah Elliss before walking into the end zone on a 13-yard touchdown catch late in the first half. Then Walker took a fourth-and-1 carry 60 yards for a touchdown when he got the edge past Que Robinson and Moss.

Over and over, Denver ceded extra yardage. Time and time again, Kansas City took advantage.

One game does not define a season. After an offseason brimming with confidence, however, this kind of start to the regular season will deliver a message to the Broncos loud and clear: Getting where they want to go this fall will be anything other than easy.

At long last, training camp is in the rearview mirror and Week 1 has arrived.

Denver’s players, too, now report to work in a palace. In the first days reporters were allowed into the locker room for normal, regular-season interview windows, that alone would be reason enough for players to be largely in good moods.

For many, most pointedly quarterback Bo Nix, there is also relief in the arrival of a new season because of the remaining vapors of last year’s crushing exit. The fractured ankle. The second-half snowstorm. New England slipping through Denver en route to Santa Clara, Calif., and the Super Bowl.

All of that adds to the build this week as Monday Night Football approaches.

That¶¶Òőap not all, though. This team, quite clearly, believes it is good. Not in an arrogant way, at least not outwardly. There hasn’t been much brashness or bold-letter, they-said-what claims so far through training camp.

It has instead been a straightforward preseason. Fiery at times, a little monotonous at others.

A group that has won enough in the past two seasons, including claiming the franchise’s first AFC West title in a decade, to know that everybody else knows they’ll be a contender. But also one that thinks it has some tricks up its sleeve with Davis Webb installed as the offense’s new play-caller and Jaylen Waddle ready to finally be deployed in a game that matters.

“I think there’s a comfortability that comes with (being the defending division champions),” veteran right tackle Mike McGlinchey said. “But I also think, with what the Chiefs just accomplished with the nine years in a row, that¶¶Òőap rare air, right? Nothing’s guaranteed every year. And yeah, we might have won last year, but our division is stacked again. It¶¶Òőap another grind to get it done and go and compete with those three other teams.

“Certainly, though, there’s a comfortability in knowing that we’ve done it and we can go do it again. You can use that confidence to keep moving forward.”

Even though Denver won the West in what ultimately looked like runaway fashion last year thanks to a mega-sized 11-game winning streak after a 1-2 start and a down year from Kansas City even before Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL in mid-December. The Los Angeles Chargers, though, were 11-4 heading into a Week 17 game against Houston that, had they won, would have made the final week of the season a de facto AFC West title game. Even in a year where so much went right, the Broncos needed all but one week of the season to take the crown from the Chiefs.

Now Mahomes is back and for the first time since he established himself as one of the NFL’s greats, he’s the one in chase mode rather than the rest of the division.

The Chiefs are the ones looking up the standings at somebody else, even if they are widely considered a favorite — albeit a mild one — to bounce back this fall. Most of the offseason, betting sites have snugged the Broncos, Chiefs and Chargers close together but considered Kansas City and L.A. slightly more likely to win the West than Denver.

Often, too much is made of what happens in Week 1 of the NFL season. Last year, Denver snuck past Tennessee at home, then lost back-to-back games. By the end of Week 3, the Chargers were 3-0 with wins over the Chiefs and the Broncos, while Sean Payton’s team was 1-2 and reeling a bit.

In fact, Denver hasn’t actually got itself off to a good start yet under Payton and yet its been a playoff team the in each of Nix’s first two seasons as the team’s quarterback.

One of the beliefs Payton holds to be true about the NFL is that the first quarter of the season is a race to improve. A Week 1 loss isn’t debilitating, but arriving at Week 6 as the same team you were in Week 1 can be a death sentence.

“We go all offseason — everyone goes all offseason — waiting for Week 1,” Payton said recently. “So it¶¶Òőap an important game because it¶¶Òőap the one we’re playing and yet every year it (proves to not) not necessarily the end-all, be-all.

“But we certainly like to get off to a better start.”

That would be the case if Denver was opening with Jacksonville or San Francisco or anybody else, but it is especially true because the club opens against Kansas City.

If the Broncos win, more people than ever will perhaps finally believe that the division’s power balance has finally tilted uphill and to the West.

If the Chiefs win, however, the chorus of takes about Denver’s 11-2 one-score record in 2025 and Mahomes’ injury and all the rest will undoubtedly sing out.

The true kings will be back and the pretenders will already be toast, regardless of outcome.

That, of course, will not be true. There are twists and turns from here to the first week of January. No team can win or lose a division or even know for sure what it has in totality on the opening night of the season.

For the most part, the team who knew nothing but division crowns until last year and the one wearing it entering Monday night each have spoken in such tones in recent weeks.

“The Broncos did real good last year,” Kansas City wide receiver Rashee Rice said. “They did great leading the division last year, but, I mean, that was last year and this is a new season for everybody.

“We’re gonna go out there and compete and see who’s it’s gonna be at the end of the season.”

It might well take until the end of the season to sort this division out once again this fall. At last, however, the start of the race has arrived.

Since the day the NFL released its schedule back in May, this has felt like an appropriate opener for the AFC West¶¶Òőap power broker over the past decade and the division’s defending champion.

“We know we’re playing a really good football team, a divisional opponent, Monday Night Football,” Payton said. “It¶¶Òőap not like Andy and I have to go in and give our teams a pep talk.”

If Sean Payton, full-time football strategist and part-time meteorologist, can be trusted, the Broncos will face 20-mph gusts on at Arrowhead Stadium early in the game.

Gone with the Wind?

The inference? The Broncos must be prepared to run. While leaning on J.K. Dobbins makes sense, let’s be clear.

Monday night is about Bo Nix and Patrick Mahomes.

Both are returning from surgery, Nix from multiple procedures on his right ankle and Mahomes from a more serious ACL repair on his left knee.

The Future vs. The Past.

That is how it will be framed. And it is not wrong. The quarterback who plays best will win the game.

My money is on Nix, not one of the greatest of all time, in Mahomes, who lacks weapons around him and pushed his recovery timeline.

It starts with this: When has Nix failed as a Bronco? When did the Broncos lose because of him last season?

He threw a bad pick against the Colts. But Denver lost on a walk-off field goal because of a leverage penalty, as ridiculous as it was — the Broncos took an unnecessary risk with an alignment and the officials should have never called it — not a turnover. And there was that forgettable playoff game in Buffalo in his rookie season.

Nix is ready to meet the moment.

It’s time for him to end Mahomes’ seven-game home win streak against the Broncos and let the Chiefs know the AFC West runs through Denver.

This is a night to fortify his reputation, to silence critics, to experience a measure of redemption after watching the AFC Championship Game in a boot.

Former Broncos standout Emmanuel Sanders relayed an anecdote about when the nine captains recently spoke that sheds light on Nix’s mindset.

“Most of the guys got up there and said, ‘Thank you for electing me. I won’t let you down.’ And Nix got up there and he had a fire to him. He was saying last year doesn’t matter and it is all about this year. And every game we have to go to battle,” said Sanders on “The Matchup” podcast with ex-Broncos star Chris Harris Jr.  “Just the energy he gave the team, you could see the guys sit up.”

With 25 wins in two seasons, Nix has our attention. And with only one goal remaining, he is positioned to bring his teammates with him.

Nix, 26, will no longer have Payton in his ear. He respects his boss, but this means he no longer has any excuses. No matter what anyone says, Nix wanted this.

The expectation is that new offensive coordinator Davis Webb will provide shorter play calls and allow more time to assess the defense at the line of scrimmage. And, fingers crossed, there will be fewer hockey line changes.

With Webb in his ear until 15 seconds left on the play clock, Nix will have an extra set of eyes. Webb will see the game through the lens of an NFL quarterback, which he was four seasons ago, and as a detached coach on the sideline.

Both versions will benefit Nix.

“Some plays are like reading the ‘Green Eggs and Ham’ book like he knows it like the back of his hand,” Webb said. “Others are like ‘Harry Potter’ the fourth book.”

Webb is there to fill in the gaps, featuring a fiber-optic pace compared to Payton’s dial-up sonnets.

Payton has repeatedly said since February that he would not have given Webb play-calling duties “if I didn’t think he would give us a better chance to win.”

Debuting at Kansas City is the equivalent of taking a final as your first college exam. But Webb continues to give off vibes that he and Nix are prepared. They formed such a tight bond over the past three seasons that Nix believes they will operate in sync.

The best OCs and QBs become the voice inside each other’s heads. Finish their sentences. Nix implied as much this week when I asked whether Webb would have an advantage as an unknown or whether the Chiefs would benefit from his inexperience.

“I think it¶¶Òőap tougher on them for sure because you just don’t know his style,” Nix said. “I understand what he likes and doesn’t like, the kind of way he is going to call the game.”

It helps that Nix embraces the big stage. He boasts a 6-1 record in prime-time games. That is tied for the best win percentage (.857) by any quarterback with five-plus starts.

It is not everything. But it’s not nothing.

Nix also outplayed Mahomes in Kansas City in 2024, deprived of a victory by a blocked field goal that stung so badly it inspired Denver to reach the postseason.

And there is this something.

Mahomes was once the best at improv, football’s version of Robin Williams. He could make magic out of a mess because of his elusiveness and alarming arm strength. While that could remain part of the second chapter of his career, it is hard to see Mahomes running around and extending plays in Week 1.

Nix, meanwhile, must color outside the lines. The main concern about his ankle operations — one to fix a break, one for cleanup — was that it would make him play cautiously.

Mobility is one of his superpowers.

Remember the diving throw against the Commanders? Or the time he dodged the Packers’ fang-bearing edge rusher Micah Parsons, changing directions before delivering a 22-yard connection?

Nix is at his best when he is an athlete. There is a reason he ran the 400 meters in high school.

Everything observed in practice, between plays, and his preseason cameo against the Packers suggests Nix trusts his legs.

The Broncos are motivated to start faster in games. And Nix needs to play better early, beyond his acumen for avoiding turnovers and sacks.

But, come on, we all know this one will be close.

And that, youth be damned, favors Nix.

That susceptibility will be tested immediately. The Broncos will face arguably the greatest tight end of this generation in Week 1: Chiefs star Travis Kelce.

Kelce has had the Broncos number throughout his career, , the most against any opponent. He led the Chiefs in receiving in both games against Denver last season, recording 91 yards on nine catches in the Nov. 16 contest and 36 yards on five catches in the Christmas game.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Kelce’s connection rivals any quarterback-receiver pairing in the league. Coach Sean Payton said the duo’s improvisation on routes and concepts makes them extremely difficult to defend.

“Players with real good, savvy IQ like Kelce, those guys flourish with understanding areas that the quarterbacks are going to be in or want him to be in with a play that has moved into its second element,” Payton said. “You build up that chemistry over time, and you begin to think alike.”

Kelce’s not the same player he once was. He’s entering his 14th season at 36-years-old, but the seven-time All-Pro remains Mahomes favorite target. Expect a variety of different defenders to guard Kelce on Monday, including cornerback Jahdae Barron, nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian, linebackers Alex Singletonc and Justin Strnad in zone coverage and safety Talanoa Hufanga.

When asked if it is easier to guard Kelce in man or zone coverage, Payton said it¶¶Òőap more important for the defense to limit the prolonged plays that require the secondary to cover for a lengthened time.

“A lot of it depends on the type of defense you’re playing, but if you’re in match coverage, then it ends up playing like man. I think it¶¶Òőap important you understand how to rush certain quarterbacks to avoid maybe six or seven of those plays that get extended,” Payton said.

Denver’s defense will want to avoid those plays as much as possible, particularly if it leaves their linebackers in coverage for too long. Singleton and Strnad can struggle to defend the middle of the field, and Mahomes will certainly be looking for Kelce in those situations.

In last season’s Week 11 game, Kelce defeated several Broncos in man-to-man coverage. He caught a 10-yard pass on a zig route against Barron, beat linebacker Dre Greenlaw on a drag route for 17 yards and caught a 21-yard-touchdown pass against Hufanga. Barron recorded the only pass breakup on a dig route over the middle.

The second-year defensive back might be the Broncos’ best option against the tight end. In that November contest, he matched up against Kelce six times in man coverage, allowing two catches on three targets for 14 yards, according to The Denver Post¶¶Òőap charting.

After that game, Barron posted a swatting the ball away from Kelce with the caption: “Tell Swift put me on a song RIGHT NOW,” in reference to Kelce’s wife, pop star Taylor Swift.

He eventually deleted the post, and Swift didn’t write a song about him. But if the rookie ends up drawing a big share of the Kelce assignment, he’ll announce himself to a primetime audience Monday night.

Darnold, of course, was picked No. 3 overall in the 2018 draft by the New York Jets. He flamed out there, then started a journey that featured stops and starts, more downs than ups and, eventually, a fast rise at Minnesota, a $100 million deal in Seattle and, in his first year starting for the Seahawks, a world championship.

Darnold is one of several quarterbacks in the NFL who has had to take the long route to being a coveted starter. Baker Mayfield went through the same thing. Jared Goff nearly won a Super Bowl in Los Angeles only to be dumped by the Rams to Detroit. Daniel Jones was putting together a great year last year — his first in seven seasons — before an injury cut his Indianapolis debut short.

Overall, though, winning a Super Bowl in the past decade-plus in the NFL has been the province of surefire Hall of Famers. Before the Seahawks, nine of the previous 11 Super Bowls had been won by Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford. The other two belong to the Eagles: The Nick Foles miracle run in 2017 and Jalen Hurts in 2024.

Of course, any team would take a future Hall of Famer at quarterback, but one interesting element here: For as much as the prevailing wisdom is that quarterbacks on a cheap, rookie contract are the key to building a championship-caliber team, the only quarterbacks since 2013 to win a Super Bowl while actually playing on their rookie deal are Russell Wilson (2013 for Seattle) and Mahomes in 2019.

Mahomes’ and Brady’s dominance have a lot to do with that stat, but perhaps it¶¶Òőap telling nonetheless.

While they haven’t won many titles, rookie-contract quarterbacks still have appeared in the Super Bowl frequently. Wilson made it back in 2014. Since 2018, the losing Super Bowl quarterback has been on his rookie deal six of eight years, with Mahomes holding the two exceptions in 2020 and 2024. Otherwise, the list goes Goff (2018), Jimmy Garoppolo (2019), Joe Burrow (2021), Hurts (2022), Brock Purdy (2023) and Drake Maye last year.

Of the 26 quarterbacks to start a Super Bowl in the past 13 years, 12 have accounted for 5.2% of his team’s cap that year or less. That includes the past two winners in Darnold and Hurts.

Could a quarterback on a rookie deal break through this year and win a Super Bowl? The 2024 draft class, which becomes extension-eligible after this season, looks like a decent bet. After all, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Maye and Denver’s Bo Nix have already won division titles in their first two seasons. Maye’s played in a Super Bowl, while Daniels and Nix have come within a game.

The list of quarterbacks good enough to take up double-digit percentage of a team’s salary cap has been short over the past decade-plus. Mahomes winning two in Kansas City while taking up 17% of the Chiefs’ cap space stands as a substantial outlier.

Of course, teams are adept at suppressing the cap hit for a player long after he signs an extension, but the bill comes due at some point. So, the most efficient way is to strike while the iron is hot and the signal-caller is cheap.

QBs in the Super Bowl since 2013

* Cap data via OvertheCap

The 2024 QB class through two years