‘What the Hell Is Going On Here?’ — ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith Rips ‘Trash’ Broncos After Dreadful MNF Showing vs. Chiefs
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The first week of the NFL season is officially in the books, and it ended with the Kansas City Chiefs getting the better of one of last year’s Cinderella teams, the Denver Broncos.
It wasn’t a pretty night for Denver, and ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith had plenty to say about the Broncos after their ugly Monday Night Football performance.
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Stephen A. Smith Destroys the Broncos After Getting Routed by Chiefs On MNF
The Broncos looked completely out of whack for most of the game and could not get anything going offensively. That already has people questioning new play-caller Davis Webb and what exactly is going on with this offense.
“What the [expletive] is going on here?” Smith said while talking about Denver’s performance on “First Take.”
The defense wasn’t bad by any means, but it also didn’t look anywhere close to the elite defense that fans have gotten used to seeing from the Broncos. They did a decent job keeping Patrick Mahomes in check, holding him to just 15-of-27 passing for 184 yards and 2 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing TD as he showed glimpses of his pre-injury form.
Kansas City’s dominance looked even more concerning for Denver because Mahomes was playing his first game since his torn ACL and LCL.
Denver’s real problem was stopping the run. And for a team ranked the third-best against the run in 2025, according to PFN’s Defense Impact Score, that is surprising, to say the least.
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They couldn’t stop Kenneth Walker III, who finished with 173 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, while also adding a receiving touchdown.
Bo Nix, meanwhile, had a rough night.
Nix finished with only 131 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Kansas City also sacked him four times, and he fumbled three times, losing one. Nix posted a lackluster 68.3 PFN QB Impact Score in Week 1, ranking No. 28 among the 32 quarterbacks.
Then Jaylen Waddle, the big new addition Denver brought in during the offseason, barely had a chance to make an impact, as he had just one catch for two yards.
Kansas City does deserve some credit, too. The Chiefs’ defense looked more like its 2024 version, keeping Denver uncomfortable for most of the night. Looking at Webb’s play-calling, it’s concerning that they could not get some of their new weapons more involved.
Smith said he expected much more from the Broncos, especially considering what the team did last season.
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“I expected a hell of a lot more from the Denver Broncos than what I saw,” Smith said. “Now, Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Patrick Mahomes returns, you got a running game, Eric Bieniemy with Andy Reid. I get it. A lot is stacked against you, but I still expected better than what we saw. Denver looked like trash.”
It was Nix’s first regular-season game back after the broken ankle that ended his 2025 season in the AFC Divisional Round. Mahomes was also coming back from a serious injury, though, and looked much more comfortable returning.
One game shouldn’t completely change how people view the Broncos, especially after what they showed as a team last season. Week 1 overreactions are going to happen no matter what, and fans will have plenty more football to overreact to as the season progresses.
The bigger question is whether this was just a terrible opening game or a sign of bigger problems that could follow Denver throughout the season.
Sean Payton said the Broncos would review its mistakes before preparing for Week 2 and expressed confidence that Webb would improve with experience.
Meanwhile, if the offense keeps looking like this and the new additions aren’t getting involved, changes could come sooner rather than later. If the struggles continue, perhaps Payton will look to take back playcalling duties from Webb.
For now, the Broncos have to put this loss behind them and get ready for Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.