# Broncos Week 1 grades: a Chiefs blowout with few survivors

> A 31-10 loss in Kansas City produced some of the worst Broncos grades in a decade of this system.
- Title: Broncos Week 1 grades: a Chiefs blowout with few survivors
- Summary: A 31-10 loss in Kansas City produced some of the worst Broncos grades in a decade of this system. Denver's opener wasn't one bad unit, it was missed tackles…
- Keywords: broncos, nfl, player grades, chiefs, bo nix, sports, Week, grades, blowout, few, survivors, Denver Broncos On SI
- Source: Denver Broncos On SI — https://si.com/nfl/broncos/onsi/broncos-player-grades-are-in-chiefs-blowout-exposed-serious-concerns
- Published: 2026-09-15T18:32:11+00:00
- Read time: 3 min
- Topics: broncos, nfl, player grades, chiefs, bo nix, sports
## A rude Week 1 awakening
Denver opened the season with a 31-10 loss to Kansas City on Monday Night Football. The Broncos made a statement, just not the one they wanted.
## The tackling fell apart
Pro Football Focus charted 24 missed tackles. Next Gen Stats went further with 28 and a 29.5 missed-tackle rate.
## No answers either way
Offense and defense both came up empty. Denver was outclassed, outcoached, and out-prepared from the opening whistle.

> The Broncos were outclassed, outcoached, and out-prepared by the Chiefs
## Worse than the 70-burger
This wasn't the 70-point loss to Miami in 2023, but in many ways it felt worse. Jacksonville is next, on a short week.
## How the grades work
Every snap gets evaluated. Players start at 50 and move plus or minus three points per snap, with a 15-snap minimum to qualify.
## Quinn Meinerz, offensive MVP
Graded 70.2. He allowed no pressure and was the most consistent run blocker on a line that mostly struggled.
## Denver didn't trust its best blocker
On 3rd-and-1, Davis Webb called an empty passing set instead of running behind Meinerz. The throw fell incomplete.
## Que Robinson, defensive MVP
Graded 67.8. He beat the Chiefs again after a strong showing last year, adding three pressures on Mahomes and steady run defense.
## Bo Nix bottomed out
Graded 24.5. Late throws, poor ball placement, a bad interception, and three fumbles with one lost. He looked lost more than once.

> He also looked like he was playing in mud up to his ankles.
## The ankle is the worry
Nix couldn't outrun defensive linemen. Coming off a fractured ankle, that lack of speed is the thing to watch next.
## Bolles held his side
Graded 65.1. The left tackle pass protected well even as the Chiefs aimed pressure looks at him. Run blocking dragged the number down.
## Engram finally shows up
Graded 64.3, possibly his first appearance in the positive column. On an offense that stunk, he stood out consistently.
## Bonitto bent the game plan
Graded 64.2 with two pressures. Kansas City built its offensive plan around neutralizing him and the Denver pass rush.
## Zach Allen, one-man line
Graded 63.7 with three pressures and two sacks. The Chiefs ran away from him, and no other Denver lineman made them pay.
## D.J. Jones got moved
Graded 21.6. He lacks the length and mass for double teams, and shooting gaps took him out of position where the Chiefs attacked.
## Singleton waved it off
Graded 27.4. The game plan usually hides his flaws, not this time. Postgame he said Denver will be fine, three years into a tackling problem.
## Trautman's cheap re-signing
Graded 28.9. Denver passed on free-agent tight ends to save under $1 million a year, and got one of the league's worst blocking tight ends again.
## Franklin's rough cameo
Graded 34.6 on barely 15 snaps. He misread blocks on a carry and drew offensive pass interference for pushing off on a chain-moving target.
## Short week, long list
Jacksonville arrives before Denver has time to rebuild anything. Tackling, the offensive line, and Nix all need fixing at once.
## Key takeaway

Denver's opener wasn't one bad unit, it was missed tackles, a lost quarterback, and a game plan the Chiefs solved early.