Sean Payton’s gamble is already backfiring after Broncos lose to Chiefs but the good news is there’s plenty of time to fix things
Sean Payton’s decision to hand play-calling duties over to Davis Webb doesn’t look good after the Broncos struggled to the Chiefs in their Week 1 opener. The good news is the offense has the right pieces in place and there is still 17 weeks left in the season.
One of the biggest questions surrounding Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos heading into 2026 was the decision to hand over play-calling duties to Davis Webb.
Webb has never been a full-time play-caller in the NFL, whereas Sean Payton has over 20 years of experience as both the head coach and main play-caller for both the New Orleans Saints and Broncos. The experience gap is impossible to hide, so many wondered just how big the production gap would be.
Well, if the Broncos offense’s Week 1 performance against the Kansas City Chiefs gives us an indication of what’s to expect moving forward, it’s safe to say Payton’s decision will not work out for the better.
“As a head coach, whether you are calling the plays or not, it is frustrating,” Payton told reporters after the game. “It is disappointing. I don’t know if the feeling is any different whether you are calling them or not honestly.”
Numbers tell the story of just how bad Sean Payton’s Broncos were on Monday night
Per Sumer Sports, the Broncos offense is currently dead-last in EPA/play at (-0.44). The unit is second-to-last in success rate (31.9%), just behind the Pittsburgh Steelers at 31.3%.
Bo Nix averaged -0.56 EPA/attempt and a 34.4% success rate when throwing the ball. Both numbers are second-worst among all 32 starting quarterbacks in Week 1. And finally, the rushing attack generated an average of -0.19 EPA/rush and a 26.7% success rate, good for fourth- and second-worst, respectively.
The Broncos offense literally ranks in the bottom-5 of all major metrics. Nix and Co. were throttled from the opening snap and didn’t have any answers as the game went on. You could tell the Chiefs defense was completely in their heads when Jaylen Waddle dropped a key third-down pass that would’ve moved the chains in the third quarter.
In those moments, it’s up to Webb to find answers and make the proper adjustments to at least stay competitive and he couldn’t do that. Instead, the Broncos continued to look completely outmatched and kept making bad mistakes that constantly put them behind the chains.
Sure, it’s the first game involving Webb as the primary play-caller, but at the same time, he had weeks to prepare for this game. If he can’t come up with a cohesive game plan with plenty of time to prepare then what is this offense going to look like on a weekly basis when he has far less time to come up with a game plan?
The good news is Sean Payton will be directly in his ear as the Broncos prepare for each opponent and there are 17 weeks left in the season.
But at the same time, a great game plan doesn’t matter if the right calls aren’t made when the bullets are flying. One misstep can cost a team dearly in the NFL and right now, that margin of error is shrinking for Webb after just one game.
