A proud Broncos defense unravels: 28 missed tackles fuel a 31-10 loss at Arrowhead

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — Bo Nix called Denver’s bludgeoning at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs “a nasty wakeup call” for a Broncos team with Super Bowl aspirations. Sean Payton called it a “slap in the face.”

Now, the trick is to make sure their 31-10 loss at Kansas City is an aberration and not an omen.

“You’ve got to learn from it, you’ve got to flush it as soon as possible after our meeting today and move on to the next opponent,” offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey said Tuesday. “We still have those (championship) aspirations and one game doesn’t define our season or who we are and we’ve just got to learn how to get better from it.”

Possibly the most disconcerting part about their dismal showing Monday night wasn’t that newcomer Jaylen Waddle was limited to a single catch for 2 yards or that Nix fumbled three times or even that new play-caller Davis Webb had a dud of a debut.

It’s that one of the league’s best defenses missed 28 tackles at Arrowhead Stadium, where Kenneth Walker III ran roughshod over the Broncos for 173 yards.

That included 144 yards after contact as Denver’s 29.8% missed tackle rate was the third-worst in an NFL game since 2018, and their 247 missed tackle yards allowed were the most by any defense in that same span, according to Next Gen Stats.

“It’s very correctable,” said lineman Zach Allen, one of only two Denver defensive starters who didn’t miss a tackle. “So, that’s the good news. Yeah, it’s definitely going to be a point of emphasis in practice this week.

“Knowing the guys we got in this group, it’ll get addressed, it’ll get fixed. So, yeah, shouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

The offense had its own dismal showing as Nix fumbled three times, got sacked on his first snap and intercepted on his first pass. The Broncos converted just twice in a dozen third-down opportunities and couldn’t sustain drives even before the game got out of hand.

“If you don’t play good against a really good team, they’re going to beat you pretty good,” said Nix.

It’s harder to flush such an ugly game out of one’s system, too, suggested coach Sean Payton.

“It’s one thing to lose in a hard-fought game where you feel like you played well,” Payton said. “I don’t feel like we played up to our standard and certainly that starts with us as coaches, myself. And so, yeah, it’s disappointing.

“I know it’s a shorter week, but there’s no way we can get past today without looking at the tape and looking at the things that we have to improve on before we even play the next opponent.”

What’s working

TE Evan Engram caught Denver’s only touchdown pass, equaling his TD total from last season. Engram played alongside Webb with the New York Giants, so their chemistry goes way back.

What needs help

Denver’s defense. It’s back to the basics for a unit that’s been Denver’s calling card for decades. This was its worst showing since Vance Joseph’s group allowed 70 points to Miami in 2023.

Stock up

Allen and Nik Bonitto are the only Denver front-line defenders who didn’t miss a tackle. Allen also had one of Denver’s two sacks.

Stock down

Nix was nowhere near himself in his return from a broken right ankle and Davis was unbalanced in his play calls even when the game was close, calling just a handful of runs before halftime.

Injuries

PR Marvin Mims left briefly with a hip injury but returned.

Key number

2. Sacks by a team that racked up 131 sacks the last two seasons. “When you think about it, No. 1, Patrick (Mahomes) is super smart. The ball is coming out with some quick screens …,” Payton said. “They were not just going to sit there with him in the pocket on seven-step drops, understandably so. They had a good plan. The ball was coming out fast.”

Next steps

Following their biggest loss since a 31-7 blowout at Buffalo in the 2024 playoffs, the Broncos host the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0), who walloped them 34-20 last year in Colorado to snap Denver’s 11-game winning streak.

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