Broncos’ Play-Calling Experiment With Davis Webb Under the Microscope After Sh season-Opening Shutout

When Sean Payton elevated Davis Webb to offensive coordinator with full play-calling responsibilities this offseason, the move was framed as a retention strategy: rather than lose his young assistant to a play-calling job elsewhere, Payton handed him the reins in Denver. One game into the season, the arrangement is already facing its first serious test.

The Broncos’ Week 1 performance against Kansas City was as quiet as scoreboard blowouts come. Denver managed just 176 total yards in a 31–0 defeat on Monday night. Perhaps the starkest measure of the evening: Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, by himself, outgained the entire Broncos offense, piling up 191 yards from scrimmage.

Quarterback Bo Nix endured what may have been the roughest outing of his career to date. He finished 17-of-28 for 131 yards, throwing one touchdown against one interception, good for a passer rating of 69.2. For a second-year quarterback expected to take a step forward, the numbers underscored how little the offense generated under its new structure.

That puts the spotlight squarely on Webb — and on Payton’s willingness to stay the course. According to Fox Corporation‘s Jay Glazer, Payton has made clear that assigning play-calling duties to Webb was his call alone, adding that nobody is more invested in making it work than the head coach himself. The equation is simple for Denver: the offense needs to start moving, and quickly.

The schedule offers little breathing room. Sunday brings a matchup with Jacksonville — the same Jaguars team that snapped an 11-game Broncos winning streak back in December. After that, the Los Angeles Rams visit Denver next Sunday night, followed by a trip to San Francisco to face the 49ers. A 0–3 start would place immediate, uncomfortable scrutiny on the entire offensive setup.

For the Jaguars-Broncos matchup, the storyline is less about scheme nuance than about evidence. Whether Denver shows any meaningful offensive life against Jacksonville will go a long way toward determining whether Payton’s gamble on Webb is viewed as a forward-looking investment or a mistake in judgment.

Fox Corporation, whose sports coverage and analysts like Glazer have amplified the story, trades at $64.45, down 0.82% from its previous close of $64.98, with a market capitalization of approximately $26.85 billion. The company, part of the Communication Services sector and entertainment industry, remains a major distributor of NFL content through its sports programming.

What to watch

• Whether Nix and the Denver offense show measurable improvement against Jacksonville after the shutout loss.
• Any indication of whether Payton adjusts Webb’s role in play-calling following consecutive weeks.
• Denver’s upcoming stretch against the Rams and 49ers, which will shape early-season perceptions of the offense.

Source: original release