That brutal 20-point loss to the Green Bay Packers last Friday has the Denver Broncos hitting the reset button hard, and Head Coach Sean Payton isn’t even sure if it was a “minor wake up call” for his squad. With just one preseason game left, there’s not much time to fix the major issues before a daunting schedule kicks off for a team entering 2026 with huge expectations, “Super Bowl aspirations,” and their first AFC West title in a decade last year.
Sean Payton’s Honest Truth
Payton has been incredibly honest about one huge issue over his three years coaching in Denver: they aren’t starting fast enough. The guy said it himself, “I don’t think we’ve really started fast here in my three years. I’m pretty sure we haven’t, so I think that’s going to be important.” He reflected on those peaks and lows of camp, emphasizing the need to move the needle in the right direction. Last season, despite a 9-2 run before their Bye Week, a lot of those wins were way closer than they should have been. Six of those games saw the team score less than 21 points, and third-down conversions were a major struggle.
The Red Flags Are Waving
All those offensive inconsistencies are glaring. Bo Nix, in his third year, has a huge opportunity to truly hit the ground running and perform better early in the season. The Broncos’ offense racked up a combined 12 turnovers in that early span last year. What’s worse? The defense wasn’t getting enough takeaways, putting the team on the wrong end of the turnover differential. If they want to make good on those “Lombardi Trophy quest” dreams, the Broncos absolutely have to find a way to explode out of the gate.
This squad kicks off their regular season in three weeks on the road, against a familiar and formidable foe: the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Talk about high stakes right out of the gate!
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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