It was not at all a wild prediction to think that the Denver Broncos would lose to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, but losing in blowout fashion was not on many of our Bingo cards. From the moment the first play happened, the Broncos never really seemed to get comfortable with much of anything.
And it didn't help that the Chiefs seemed to be on their game for 60 minutes. While the offense was struggling to do much of anything here, that might not be the biggest shock in the world, as offensive coordinator Davis Webb was in his first regular season game calling the plays, so he should get some grace.
What really went wrong was on the defensive side of the ball, as the Broncos not only allowed a ton of big plays to the Chiefs, including a 60-yard touchdown to running back Kenneth Walker, but the tacklign was also not only bad, but historically bad.
The Denver Broncos missed tackles at a historically bad rate in Week 1
However bad you thought the Broncos' tackling was against the Chiefs, it was even worse
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) September 15, 2026
Denver's 248 missed tackle yards allowed were the most in a single game in @NextGenStats' database. Their 29.8% missed tackle percentage is the third worst single-game score since 2018 https://t.co/Kd0zQjfUFl
So, the Broncos, according to Next Gen Stats, allowed 248 extra yards on Monday Night Football due to missed tackles, which is the most in the database, as first mentioned by Trevor Sikkema. Sikkema also notes that the team had a 29.8 percent missed tackle percentage, which is the worst in a single game since the 2018 season.
Thousands of NFL games, and the Broncos missed tackles in Week 1 ended up as one of the worst in that regard. I am not sure how something like that is even possible with as buttoned-up as this defense typically is, but it happened, and it's real.
Fortunately, tackling is something that can be coached, and while this game does leave a sour taste in your mouth, and for good reason, there isn't anything stopping the Broncos from coming out in the home opener in Week 2 and simply not having this poor of a performance on defense.
This could also end up benefiting the team in the long run on this side of the ball, as the defensive performance we saw could not be further from how good this team can be, so perhaps this potential 'wake-up call' can begin to show itself in Week 2.
Fortunately, the Broncos are home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and while the Jags did beat up on the Broncos last year, this early season tilt has suddenly become one where the defense does have a lot to prove. Simply tackling better would go a long way in a potential victory next week.
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