Ed McCaffrey has seen enough Denver Broncos football to know one terrible night does not necessarily make a terrible team.
The former Broncos wide receiver pushed back on the fallout from Denver’s season-opening 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, arguing that the reaction had outrun the result.
“The fallout from last nights @Broncos loss is out of control,” McCaffrey wrote on X on September 15. “Yes, they played a bad game—but all the Henny Pennys and Chicken Littles need to pump the brakes. You’re never as bad as you look after a loss or as good as you look after a win. This is still a 10-plus-win team.”
Then came the punch line.
“BREAKING: Rumor has it @Broncos DC Vance Joseph has already unplugged the defense and plugged it back in again,” McCaffrey posted. “Tackling against the Jaguars should be electric!”
The joke landed because tackling was not merely one problem for Denver on Monday night.
It was the problem.
Broncos’ Tackling Numbers Were Historically Bad
The Chiefs rolled up 392 yards and rushed 38 times against a Denver defense that entered the season with considerably larger ambitions.
Kenneth Walker III did most of the damage, running 23 times for 173 yards and a touchdown. His 60-yard third-quarter score turned a manageable 14-7 deficit into a two-touchdown game and started pushing Denver toward the exit.
The underlying numbers were worse.
According to Next Gen Stats figures cited by NFL.com, the Broncos missed 28 tackles and allowed 247 yards after missed tackles — the most by an NFL defense since at least 2018. Eight Denver defenders missed multiple tackles.
Head coach Sean Payton did not dress it up afterward.
“Obviously, not a good evening,” Payton said, while pointing to missed tackles, penalties and Kansas City’s advantage in the running game. “I thought they won, really, in every phase.”
McCaffrey’s second post was a joke. The repair job is real.
Ed McCaffrey Has Plenty of Broncos Credibility
McCaffrey is also not just another former player with an X account.
He spent nine seasons with Denver and played on the Broncos teams that won consecutive Super Bowls following the 1997 and 1998 seasons. He finished his Denver career with 462 receptions, 6,200 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 1998.
McCaffrey was later inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and spent five seasons working as the color analyst on Broncos radio broadcasts.
So when he tells Broncos Country not to turn one loss into a referendum on the season, there is some institutional memory behind it.
And there is a football argument.
Joseph’s defense finished each of the previous two seasons ranked third in the NFL in points allowed. Monday looked nothing like that group. That does not erase two years of evidence any more than those two years erase what Kansas City just did to Denver.
One game can be an outlier.
Denver now has to prove it was one.
Jaguars Give Broncos Defense an Immediate Test
McCaffrey specifically mentioned Jacksonville for good reason.
The Jaguars visit Denver on September 20 after opening their season with a 34-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. Trevor Lawrence completed 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Jacksonville rushed for 126 yards.
Jaguars coach Liam Coen was particularly pleased with his team’s physicality. Jacksonville outrushed Cleveland 126-87, and running back Bhayshul Tuten produced 66 yards on 15 carries in his first NFL start.
That makes Week 2 a clean test of McCaffrey’s premise.
The Broncos do not have to prove Monday never happened. They have to show that what happened Monday is not who they are.
And, yes, plugging the defense back in would be a decent place to start.
Broncos Legend Ed McCaffrey Sends Strong Message After Chiefs Loss