Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) is pressured by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end R Mason Thomas (51) at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
What an awful start for the Denver Broncos. After a trip to the AFC Championship Game last season, there's a ton of expectations around the team this year. With their crushing defense and an offense with the potential to be extremely explosive, many peg Denver to be one of the key players in this year's AFC playoff race.
However, their Week 1 game against the Kansas City Chiefs only brought them back to the ground instead of soaring. The Broncos were completely outclassed on both sides of the ball, losing 31-10 to their division rivals. The offense, in particular, was putrid: they had the worst offensive output in the Sean Payton era in terms of yardage gained.
What went wrong for the Broncos in Week 1? Well, quarterback Bo Nix pointed to one particular issue the team faced against the Chiefs. According to Nick Cosmider, Nix said that Denver shot themselves in the foot by getting in unfavorable situations on offense.
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“Penalty after penalty after penalty,” Nix said. “Nobody has a good play to call when you're in second and long, third and long. I mean, the play sheet is very small and we just didn't put anybody in a good spot today. We really didn't.”
The Broncos finished the night with seven penalties for 52 yards. These penalties cost Denver crucial chances to move the chains or gave the Chiefs even more breathing room to do what they've been doing. A prime example is the drive that Denver had after Patrick Mahomes threw his only interception of the night. A holding penalty on Pat Bryant pushed back the Broncos 10 yards on first down. Instead of scoring a touchdown to cut the lead, Denver was only able to get a field goal.
The Broncos were also wildly inefficient during third downs, converting just two of their 12 third-down attempts. Nix finished the game completing just 60% of his passes for 131 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception, and he lost one fumble.