The Denver Broncos got absolutely clobbered on Monday night, falling 31-10 to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead. It was ugly, folks, like a boxing match that needed a white towel thrown in. Quarterback Bo Nix and head coach Sean Payton looked downright lost with a national audience watching that beatdown unfold. But here’s the kicker, and Denver fans are probably tired of hearing it: Payton-coached teams consistently struggle in September, and this year is no different.
The September Struggle Is REAL for Payton
Let’s look at the numbers, because they don’t lie. Across his entire coaching career, Sean Payton is now exactly .500 in September with a 31-31 record. That’s wild, right? With the Broncos specifically, it’s even worse. He is now 4-8 in the first month of the season: 0-3 in 2023, 2-2 in 2024, 2-2 in 2025, and now 0-1 to start 2026. You just can’t make this stuff up. Last season stung extra hard with those two brutal, last-second losses to the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Chargers. Remember that Chargers game, where they blew a fourth-quarter lead? Infuriating. After Monday’s shellacking, Payton himself told the media it was “not a good evening.” He admitted, “We didn’t do a lot well at all in the game… they won, really, in every phase.”
The panic is totally justified after that showing against Kansas City. The poor tackling was glaring, the run defense was horrible for the third straight game, and the play-calling by Davis Webb was just inept. Bo Nix looked disoriented for most of it. It was a complete train wreck, and losing like that to a bitter division rival in the opener just twists the knife even deeper.
Why You Can’t Hit the Panic Button Just Yet
Hold up, though. Before anyone starts calling for heads, there’s a crucial counterpoint. Sean Payton is 28-12 with the Broncos when it’s *not* September. Seriously, that’s a huge difference! He consistently gets his teams to improve once the calendar flips. The guy has shown an ability to diagnose problems, make adjustments, and have his team playing their best football later in the season. Nix even touched on it after the game, saying, “I think you learn how important it is not to kill yourself.” He added, “I just felt like it was penalty, after penalty, after penalty. Nobody has good plays to call when you are in 2nd-and-long, 3rd-and-long. The play sheet is very small. We didn’t put anybody in a good spot today. We really didn’t.”
So yeah, the Broncos have some serious issues to fix. That’s undeniable. But it’s also way too early to make sweeping conclusions about their entire season. Payton’s history screams “slow start, strong finish.” This is September, and while it stings, it doesn’t mean the season is over. They’ve got to clean up those penalties, get the defense figured out, and let Nix settle in. Keep your eyes peeled, because if history tells us anything, these Broncos might look a whole lot different once October rolls around.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mile High Report.
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