It wasn’t pretty, but the Broncos walked out of Week 1 with a 20-12 win over the Titans at Mile High. A win on paper, sure. Denver actually stacked up respectably in the rushing column—151 yards, 5.0 yards a pop, good for seventh-best in the league in Week 1. But strip away that late 50-yard touchdown burst by RJ Harvey in the fourth quarter and JK Dobbins’ first touchdown for the Broncos that gave them an 8-point lead over the Titans, and it exposes exactly where Sean Payton’s promises fell flat.

After all, they spent training camp layering tweaks into the run game, even flirting with an outside-zone identity that briefly had fans buzzing. But come Sunday, when Denver finally had to put theory into practice, Sean looked like a man desperate to prove his way still works. Because, mind you, 74 rushing yards arrived far too late to mask three turnovers, two delay-of-game penalties, and an offense that felt disjointed from start to finish.

Payton’s failure was written right there in the box score. After one training camp practice, he had spelled it out quite boldly about the team’s run game: “So we first look at ourselves, the scheme, and are we doing it the way we want to. Then we’re looking at who are we asking to do it with. Obviously, we’ve added some players in the running back room, and we’re going to be much improved in that area.” But when the lights came on, that promise evaporated.

Even rookie quarterback Bo Nix struggled. Playing less like Denver’s hope for tomorrow and more like a painful reminder of yesterday’s Paxton Lynch misfire. The offensive plan offered little rhythm for a young QB trying to find his footing. Remember when Payton tossed out that bold Super Bowl talk months ago? The echo of those words feels more like mockery now as the offense sputtered in real time.

The only thing that kept Denver from outright embarrassment was the defense. Nik Bonitto lived in Tennessee’s backfield. Talanoa Hufanga turned collisions into statements. And Vance Joseph dialed up just enough controlled chaos to slam the door on a game Payton seemed intent on leaving ajar. The ripple effects landed squarely on Bo Nix.

The Titans dissected him. Stripped of run-game support, Nix was forced to win with awkward mechanics. The stat line showed two interceptions, plus his first lost fumble as a pro. Mind you, Bo Nix coughed up his first lost fumble since Auburn—snapping a streak that stretched across 1,088 rookie snaps, 17 pro starts, and two clean seasons at Oregon.

Tennessee’s message was clear: the surprise factor of Nix’s mobility is gone. Until Payton tailors the offense to amplify his strengths, Nix is going to wear every mistake. Even Payton admitted it in the aftermath: “We’ve got to look closely at what we’re doing. And as coaches, look closely at what our strengths are.” The irony is painful. His game plan ignored those strengths completely. In the AFC West, there’s no margin for this kind of stubbornness when you will be put up against Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh, and Pete Carroll. This gameplay won’t make it.

Sean Payton and the head-scratcher mistake

If football is a game of chess, then Week 1 in Denver looked more like a backyard checkers match. Where both sides kept jumping over their own pieces. Tennessee’s Brian Callahan set the tone with the Headscratcher of the Week. Who in their right mind calls a pass from their own 8-yard line with under a minute before halftime?

That gamble nearly turned into a safety, and Sean Payton—ever the opportunist—pounced with his timeouts. One punt later, Marvin Mims Jr. flipped the field, and Bo Nix cashed in with a strike to Courtland Sutton for a 22-yard touchdown. Suddenly, Denver had a 10-6 lead, not because of offensive genius, but because Callahan gift-wrapped the momentum.

But Denver wasn’t immune to clown shoes either. Special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi handed out his own “what are we doing?” moment by letting the Titans rip off a 71-yard return right after. Instead of drilling it out the back of the end zone, Denver tried to overcompensate. Backing Tennessee up deep, and wound up surrendering the field position they didn’t need to give. Add Jeffery Simmons to the blooper reel, throwing Marvin Mims Jr. down for no reason.

As reporter Zac Stevens noted, Payton owned it after the game: “I’ll be better.” And it’s on that accountability that he’s staked the franchise’s future on Bo Nix. But promises don’t win games, and if Payton can’t turn words into order, Denver’s fall will only be louder.