The Denver Broncos defense couldn't contain Kansas City Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III in the season opener, but the offense didn't do them any favors either.
The Denver Broncos were decimated by the Kansas City Chiefs on “Monday Night Football” during Week 1 of the 2026 National Football League season and now set their sights on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
The Broncos defense didn’t look nearly as dominant as it did during the first half of the 2025 season despite Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes not having an efficient night. Mahomes was rusty, but new running back Kenneth Walker III sure wasn’t – he exploded for 173 rushing yards and a touchdown as well as three receptions for 18 yards and an additional score in his debut.
Walker’s two touchdowns were all the Chiefs needed to knock off Denver, as the Broncos offense struggled to keep up in offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s first game calling plays, scoring just 10 points.
Denver QB Bo Nix was held to just 131 passing yards after completing 17 of 28 passes for a touchdown and an interception while being sacked four times for a loss of 16 yards. He carried an abysmal QB rating of 13.9 and a low passer rating of 69.2.
The running game was limited to just 15 carries for 61 yards due to the game script, but head coach has longed for the running game to be the identity of the team and that wasn’t the case in Week 1.
While the defense couldn’t stop Walker and the Chiefs, the offense didn’t do them any favors by often going three-and-out and scoring just three points across the final three quarters.
Star wide receiver and trade acquisition Jaylen Waddle was capped at just one catch on two targets for two yards, while tight end Evan Engram, WR Pat Bryant and RB RJ Harvey paced the team with four receptions each.
Getting more out of the offense is imperative for Denver to defeat the Jaguars, which have been one of the hottest teams in the NFL dating back to the second half of last season. Jacksonville’s hot streak includes a dominant win over the Broncos, 34-20, with QB Trevor Lawrence throwing for 279 yards and four touchdowns.
Lawrence is finally living up to the hype from being a No. 1 overall pick and the Broncos defense will need to lock it in to avoid what happened to them last season. Though Denver’s defense took a major step back in the second half last year, the Jags’ offense was firing on all cylinders and may have been able to beat the first-half version of Denver’s defense, too.
