Well, Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season is officially in the books, and if you’re a Denver Broncos fan, you probably want to hit the rewind button and just skip that Monday night game. The Kansas City Chiefs absolutely stomped all over the Broncos for a 31-10 win, and man, it was a rough debut for Denver’s quarterback Bo Nix.
Bo Nix’s Nightmare Start Has Denver Tumbling
Seriously, what even was that? Nix looked completely lost out there against the Chiefs. He managed a measly 131 passing yards, threw 1 touchdown, and had 1 interception. But the real kicker? He fumbled the ball three times! Three! You can’t give the ball away like that and expect to win. That kind of performance sends you plummeting down the power rankings, and that’s exactly what happened to Denver after that embarrassment. While Kenneth Walker III was out there leading the way for KC in his debut, Bo Nix was, well, doing the opposite for Denver. Ouch, big time.
Niners Soaring While Rams Get Kicked When They’re Down
But hey, not every team is drowning in misery. Over in the NFC, the San Francisco 49ers are absolutely flying high after their Week 1 opener in Australia. They didn’t just beat the Los Angeles Rams, they handed them a 27-7 beatdown. That kind of dominant performance shot the 49ers up 11 spots in the power rankings, making them one of the biggest risers out of the gate. And to make things worse for the Rams, their pain isn’t stopping there. Defensive end Myles Garrett is sidelined for at least four games after he had to undergo a knee procedure. Talk about getting kicked when you’re down.
Early Season Injury Bug Is Biting Hard
It’s not just the Rams dealing with injury headaches, either. Plenty of teams are trying to figure out solutions and hoping for quick returns in Week 2. Ladd McConkey, the Chargers wide receiver, exited Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals with a rib injury, but head coach Jim Harbaugh has him labeled as day-to-day, so there’s hope. Zay Flowers from the Baltimore Ravens is also day-to-day with a hamstring issue, which is reportedly not serious. But the scariest hit came to new Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kyler Murray. He took a nasty shot in his debut, leaving Sunday’s win with a concussion and getting replaced by backup Carson Wentz. Talk about a brutal start to a new chapter.
As teams navigate their Week 2 preparations, it’s clear some are feeling a lot better about their opening performance than others. The big question is, who can build on their early success, and who can fix the early mistakes before this season really gets rolling?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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