The Denver Broncos were embarrassed by the Kansas City Chiefs in a 31-10 loss on Monday Night Football in Week 1. Here are five quick takeaways from that divisional loss on the road.
1. Davis Webb is already on the hot seat: In his first game as the offensive coordinator and play-caller, Webb's offense went 2-for-12 (17%) on third down, 0-for-1 on fourth down, 1-for-2 in the red zone and mustered just 176 net yards. At halftime, head coach Sean Payton was asked by ESPN how he felt about not calling plays, and his response was, "Um, ask me in another half." Denver's offensive struggles do not all fall on Webb, and he likely won't be replaced after one game. But the OC's seat is already hot.
2. Denver’s missed tackle rate was historic: The Broncos'
tackling (rather, their lack of tackling) was absolutely horrific. Cornerback Riley Moss (twice), outside linebacker Jonah Elliss and safety Brandon Jones all missed tackles that directly contributed to KC touchdowns, and the entire unit had a poor showing. The team's 248 yards allowed after missed tackles were the most ever tracked in a single game in the NFL Next Gen Stats era. The league's advanced stats website tracked 28 missed tackles for Vance Joseph's squad. You can count on that being a major point of emphasis this week.3. The holding penalties were questionable: Listen, they didn't decide the game, but both holding penalties called against wide receiver Pat Bryant were questionable (just ask Peyton Manning). Meanwhile, Travis Kelce appeared to get away with a hold on Patrick Mahomes' touchdown run, and Kelce benefited when a teammate appeared to hold Moss on the tight end's long catch-and-run in the third quarter. Again, those calls (and missed calls) were not the reason Denver lost the game, but the officiating was inconsistent.
4. The Broncos’ run defense is a problem: The Chiefs' offense dominated the Broncos' defense on the ground, rushing for 220 yards, with 173 yards coming from Kenneth Walker. The former Seahawk averaged 7.5 yards per carry while taking advantage of sloppy tackling efforts. Denver no longer has John Franklin-Myers, who left in free agency, and Jonathon Cooper is currently on the commissioner's exempt list. Those two players were expected to be missed in pass-rushing situations (and the Broncos did only record two sacks on Monday), but they may also be missed on run defense. Whether it's with different personnel, better tackling, a revised scheme, or some combination of all three, Joseph needs to address the run defense quickly.
5. Bo Nix needs to bounce back: In his first game back from a broken ankle in the divisional round of last season's NFL playoffs, Nix was sacked on the game's first snap, then he threw an interception two plays later. Nix didn't look like himself, taking four sacks and fumbling three times on the night. He finished the evening 17-of-28 passing for 131 yards with one touchdown and two turnovers. Nix said, "Not really," when asked after the game if it seemed like the team was a little rusty. If that wasn't rust, there's reason to be concerned about Nix going into Year 3. Broncos fans can only hope it was a rusty performance for Nix with better days ahead.
Up next, Denver is now set to return home to host the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2.
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This article originally appeared on Broncos Wire: 5 takeaways following Broncos' ugly 31-10 loss to Chiefs on 'MNF'
