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After a 14-win season and AFC Championship Game berth, the Broncos entered 2026 with some momentum. For the time being, it's all been halted.
Kansas City handled Denver with ease to wrap up Week 1 of the new NFL season, blowing out the Broncos 31-10 at Arrowhead Stadium as Kenneth Walker III scored two touchdowns in his team debut.
For the Broncos, Monday's issues went well beyond their inability to run the ball or Bo Nix's lackluster performance. Defensively, Denver's tackling was historically bad.
Here's a look at some of the alarming stats for Denver in its Week 1 loss.
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Broncos' tackling stats vs. Chiefs
With Walker rushing for 173 yards and scoring twice, plus Travis Kelce leading the Chiefs with 71 receiving yards, the Broncos had an inability to keep Chiefs ball carriers from explosive plays.
Travis Kelce gained 54 yards after the catch on his 59-yard reception, his most YAC on a reception since Week 16, 2016 (also against the Broncos).
🔸 YAC Over Expected: +32
🔸 Top Speed: 16.88 mph#DENvsKC | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/NtlZXWryaQ
Tackling was a major concern for Sean Payton's unit, especially in the run game. Kansas City picked up 11 first downs with the run, had 5.8 yards per rush and converted on two fourth-down attempts.
One stat put the tackling performance into perspective, though. According to Trevor Sikkema, based on Next Gen Stats' database, the Broncos' 248 missed tackle yards were the most in a single game. Next Gen Stats had them pinned for a total of 28 missed tackles, with eight different defenders missing multiple.
Additionally, Denver's missed tackle rate of 29.8% was the third worst in a game since 2018 — not a good sign for a defense that ranked second in the league in yards allowed per game (278.2) last season.
However bad you thought the Broncos' tackling was against the Chiefs, it was even worse
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
Here's the full list of missed tackles:
Broncos missed 28 tackles vs. Chiefs on Monday night, via @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/HeJvfuQxYB
— Kevin Patra (@kpatra) September 15, 2026MORE: Why Patrick Mahomes' impotent passing stats vs. Broncos were great for Chiefs
More alarming Broncos stats vs. Chiefs
In a disastrous night for Denver, there were plenty of numbers that aren't good signs for the weeks to come.
New addition Jaylen Waddle, who has proven himself as one of the NFL's best wide receivers, managed just one catch.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 15, 2026On the entire night, Walker had more yards himself than the entire Broncos offense.
Kenneth Walker outgained the whole Broncos team in his Chiefs debut 😳 pic.twitter.com/bcd28XExjJ
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 15, 2026According to ESPN Stats, the Broncos became the first 14-plus-win team to lost by at least 20 points in their season-opener the following year.
The Broncos were 14-3 last season.
They're the first team to lose their season opener by 20+ points after having 14 or more wins in the previous season. pic.twitter.com/RD30pM4XjC
MORE: 5 stats that prove Kenneth Walker III is a difference-maker for Chiefs
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