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By Matthew Couden
Contributing Writer
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In their season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs, Bo Nix and the Denver Broncos looked far from the team that went 14-3 last season, won the AFC, and nearly reached the Super Bowl.
Kansas City, led mostly by offseason acquisition Kenneth Walker III, put on a show for fans at home, with Tom Cruise and Taylor Swift among those watching at Arrowhead Stadium. Ultimately, the Chiefs delivered a 31-10 statement-making win over their division rivals to start the season.
After the disappointing loss, the Broncos quarterback called out his team's performance, suggesting it would help them get better mentally prepared for their upcoming season.
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"I think we just let ourselves down. It's really more disappointing than frustrating. I'm not necessarily filled with rage right now; it's really we let ourselves down, and we shot ourselves in the foot. Literally gave ourselves no chance to succeed today and made it easier for them," Nix said.
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"We know we have to be better. There's a lot of guys in that locker room that are gonna take ownership and be better, and it starts with me. It starts with our offense. We're gonna be better, and we don't have a choice; we don't have a choice but to get better," he told reporters. "Just a nasty wake-up call today."
Nix completed 17 of 28 passes for 131 yards and one touchdown, but also threw one interception and was sacked four times. In addition, the Broncos quarterback fumbled the ball three times, losing it once to the Chiefs.
Last season, Nix was one of the highlights of the NFL season. He finished with 3,931 passing yards and 25 touchdowns for a Broncos team that ranked 10th in total yards of offense per game and 11th in passing yards per game.
In Monday night's loss, Denver had just 172 yards of total offense. The Broncos also couldn't convert third downs effectively, finishing with just two out of their 17 attempts.
And while Nix may have been calling out only the Broncos' offense, one has to wonder about the defense, which is considered among the best in the league.
Patrick Mahomes and company converted 9 of 17 third downs and had 392 yards of total offense in a huge 21-point win to start the season, as the Broncos' defense was unable to stop much of anything the Chiefs had.
Denver gets a chance to bounce back when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 20, after Trevor Lawrence and that offense also looked good to start their season with a 34-10 opening win.
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