Broncos suffer blowout loss to Chiefs

Denver lost 31-10 to Kansas City on Monday night in a season-opening disaster marked by 28 missed tackles and 247 yards of damage inflicted by the Chiefs.

Payton takes responsibility for loss

Head coach Sean Payton said the poor performance starts with him and the coaching staff, acknowledging the Chiefs won in every phase of the game.

“That starts with me, that starts with our coaching staff.”

Tough schedule made worse

The Broncos squandered a chance to start fast against a brutal upcoming schedule, and their game plan backfired completely.

Mahomes mobile despite injury

Patrick Mahomes wasn't fully himself after his injury, but his mobility still stood out. Bo Nix looked much rustier in his first game back from a fractured ankle.

Nix defends first-time play-caller Webb

Bo Nix and Davis Webb have worked together since Nix's rookie year, but their connection didn't help in Webb's debut as offensive coordinator.

Webb under pressure immediately

Denver's disjointed performance puts intense scrutiny on young offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who will face pressure if the offense doesn't improve in Week 2.

Nix blames players, not Webb

Nix said players didn't execute the game plan and made it hard on Webb, who handled his first game as play-caller professionally and with conviction.

“I think players didn't make it easy on him. Pretty pitiful, actually.”

Jaguars next test for Webb

With Jacksonville coming up in Week 2, the Broncos must break out of their funk quickly or calls to end Webb's play-calling could intensify.

Self-inflicted wounds cost Broncos

The most frustrating part was that Denver did this to themselves with mistakes on both sides of the ball, marking only their second loss to Kansas City in the Nix era.

Nix calls it a nasty wake-up call

Nix said the team let themselves down and shot themselves in the foot, calling it a nasty wake-up call that starts with him and the offense.

“We just let ourselves down, shot ourselves in the foot, literally gave ourselves no chance to succeed today.”

Payton frustrated but supportive

Payton admitted to frustration watching the game unfold but offered cover for Webb by taking ownership of the loss himself.

“As a head coach, whether you are calling the plays or not, it is frustrating.”

Payton questions game plan choices

The head coach was puzzled by the Broncos neglecting new receiver Jaylen Waddle and the rebuilt running game, even before the game got out of hand.

Singleton dismisses concerns

Team captain Alex Singleton offered flippant assurances that the Broncos will be fine, despite missing many tackles at Arrowhead.

“Yeah, we're gonna be fine. We're gonna work on it this week.”

Engram: Broncos went off-brand

Tight end Evan Engram said Denver didn't play its brand of football, failing to stay on the field offensively and get off defensively.

“We just didn't play our brand of football.”

Engram led team with four catches

The veteran tight end was the bright spot with four receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown, showing good involvement despite the overall collapse.

Moss: tackling failures unacceptable

Cornerback Riley Moss acknowledged the team failed at the simple fundamentals, with several missed tackles including two that led to touchdowns.

“It's just the simple make a tackle. It sounds easy and it is easy, but we just have to get it done.”

Payton won't yank Webb yet

Despite speculation about Payton reclaiming play-calling duties, the head coach will give Webb time to learn from his failures before making any changes.

Webb faces short-week test

Webb's next chance comes on a short week when Jacksonville returns to Denver on Sunday, hoping to duplicate their Week 16 win from last season.