In Week 1, the Denver Broncos suffered their worst opening loss since 2005 the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. Luckily, for them, history says the Broncos can recover from that kind of performance.
In 2005, the Broncos suffered a 34-10 loss on the road against the Miami Dolphins. After that defeat, the Mike Shanahan and Jake Plummer-led Broncos ripped off a string of five straight wins in order to put the team back into the playoff conversation early in the season. That team would end up going 13-3 and finish as the No. 2 seed in the AFC. Denver would win the divisional round of the playoffs at home against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, before losing in the AFC Championship to the eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh
Steelers.
Bad news: This is the Broncos worst Week 1 loss since 2005
— Romi Bean (@Romi_Bean) September 15, 2026
Good news: In 2005, they lost their Week 1 game 34-10 and ended up going to the AFC Championship.
There have been a few changes since then. For instance, instead of 16 games, there are now 17 games. Despite the changes in the NFL landscape since then, the Broncos of today can draw parallels from the teams of the past.
Now, while the Broncos hope to change those playoff fortunes, they are hoping for a repeat of the regular season results. Denver has a fighting chance to rebound from their Week 1 effort in their home opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 on Sunday.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: Last time Broncos lost this bad in Week 1, they went 13-3
