For those who hate losing more than they love winning, Sunday was obviously brutal after all of the brimming optimism following the Denver Broncos' undefeated preseason. Of course, the preseason doesn't directly translate to the regular season, but there was hope that rookie quarterback Bo Nix could take all of the positive momentum he'd seemingly built up from training camp through the preseason and parlay that into a nice start to the regular season.
It was a rough go out there for Nix against the Seattle Seahawks, but he certainly wasn't alone. And the game wasn't all bad for the Denver Broncos.
While there are no moral victories, there are certainly standout notes and performances from every game, for better or worse. Who were the biggest "winners" and "losers" in the Broncos' season-opening loss at the hands of the Seahawks?
Broncos winners vs. Seahawks: The specialists
Although the end result wasn't what anyone wanted, you'd be hard-pressed to deny the greatness of the Denver Broncos' specialists in this game against the Seahawks. Specifically, kicker Wil Lutz and punter Riley Dixon each played an incredible game.
Lutz was locked in for the Broncos, making all three of his field goal attempts including a 45-yard shot at the end of the first half to put some much-needed points on the board after the Broncos finally got back into scoring range.
Riley Dixon looked like he was shooting for the moon on some of his punts. He was instrumental in one of the Broncos' two safeties on the day defensively, pinning the Seahawks at the one-yard line. Unfortunately, we saw Dixon out there for eight punts on the day but four of them landed inside the 20 and one of them went 65 yards.
Broncos loser vs. Seahawks: Sean Payton, head coach
We've got to call a few things out regarding Sean Payton from this game for the Denver Broncos.
First and foremost, Payton called out the team after the game for not supporting rookie QB Bo Nix enough out there on the field. He immediately called out dropped passes and the poor running game when asked about Nix handling adversity after the game.
Here's the thing: It was Payton's decision, at least in part, to cut veteran receiver Tim Patrick. It was Payton's decision to make Troy Franklin inactive. It was Payton's decision to only target Marvin Mims Jr. one time in the game. If you're going to call Lil'Jordan Humphrey up from the practice squad and make him one of your top four guys at the position, he better be catching the ball when it comes his way.
There are just a handful of frustrating aspects of the way Payton went about things in this game that we'll need to monitor going forward. Beyond the receiver usage, there were so many touches schemed for Jaleel McLaughlin that felt forced while Javonte Williams couldn't get going. Greg Dulcich was barely involved. It's Week 1, but there are a lot of adjustments to be made.
Broncos winner vs. Seahawks: Defensive Front
The Denver Broncos' defense was simply on the field too frequently thanks to the offense's inability to sustain drives, so there was definitely an element of wear and tear that was noticable at one point in this game when the Seahawks started to pour it on a little bit, but the Broncos' defensive front looks good.
Zach Allen was a menace from the very start of this game, along with Jonathon Cooper off the edge. The Broncos put the heat on Seahawks QB Geno Smith early on in this game and finished with a whopping 9 tackles for loss and 7 QB hits (2 sacks). They also had a pair of safeties in this game, although no one gets statistical credit for drawing holding in the end zone (DJ Jones).
This was one of the most important and best developments of Week 1 for the Denver Broncos.
Broncos loser vs. Seahawks: Jaleel McLaughlin, RB
You hate to do this because McLaughlin has been so beloved up to this point, but with all of the hype he's received, you've got to be fair and critical. McLaughlin wanted more touches. He wanted more of a role within the offense.
He got more touches. He got more of a role in the offense. The results were horrendous.
McLaughlin finished this game against Seattle with 27 yards on 10 carries, 1 yard receiving on three receptions (five targets) with a long reception of three yards, and a lost fumble that ultimately contributed heavily to the loss.
McLaughlin's 28 yards on 13 total touches was a microcosm of the offensive performance as a whole in Week 1. He was unable to get anything going despite the Broncos giving him a variety of manufactured touches. The results are going to have to be better going forward or the Broncos will have to find a new "joker" for Sean Payton's offense.
Broncos losers vs. Seahawks: Wide receivers
Although Bo Nix didn't have the best go of it against the Seattle Seahawks, the wide receivers for the Denver Broncos were horrendous overall in this game.
There was absolutely no separation happening. No yards after the catch. Dropped passes. It wasn't until late in this game when we finally started to see these guys making plays for Nix out there. It was frustrating to watch and the Broncos clearly need some juice here. We'll see what adjustments get made for Week 2, but Sean Payton was clearly frustrated with his receivers and said he walked over to the position group during the game and told them, "Let's go," referring to the dropped passes and poor execution.
This will be something to monitor but the Broncos may be looking at a hard reset at this position after the 2024 season.