ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In the aftermath of a 31-10 season-opening loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, tackle Mike McGlinchey knows the Broncos cannot turn a blind eye to the areas in which they fell short.
"You've got to take it for what it is," McGlinchey said Tuesday. "You've got to take it, you've got to learn from it, you've got to flush it as fast as possible after our meetings today and move on to the next opponent."
McGlinchey also knows, however, that Denver must not dwell on the defeat. Instead, the Broncos — whom McGlinchey said "still have those aspirations" that they entered the 2026 season with — must find a way to keep perspective as they turn their attention to the next opponent.
"One game doesn't define our season or who we are," McGlinchey said. "We've just got to learn how to get better from it."
That process, the ninth-year player said, will begin with an honest evaluation of Monday's loss.
"You have to have that honest day where you come in as coaches," Head Coach Sean Payton said. "We first meet and we go through everything and discuss, 'What are the things we would've done differently?' Then you have to have that... I know it's a shorter week, but there's no way we can get past today without looking at the tape and looking at the things that we have to improve on before we even play the next opponent."
Several players, including defensive lineman Zach Allen, said the performance "definitely wasn't our standard," and the Broncos will enter the week ahead with a focus on making necessary corrections.
"When you can remove the emotion and the things and the expectations of what we wanted to do versus what we did, you can see it from a clear lens of why the mistakes were made, what situations did we put ourselves in, and how do we not put ourselves in that position moving forward," McGlinchey said. "And I think every opportunity is a way to learn — win, lose or draw. If you're not learning, you're not growing and you're not going to be successful. … Flush the feelings that you have today, flush the embarrassment, flush all that stuff and then just get onto the task at hand and take it at face value: which is, we have a job to do, and we have to figure out how to do that job well."
Over the last several seasons, the Broncos have proven they are a team more than capable of doing so, especially in the face of adversity. Following a 0-2 start in 2024 and a 1-2 start a season ago, Denver found ways to string together wins and earn back-to-back playoff berths. Following some of the most difficult losses during the two seasons, the Broncos emerged with renewed focus that translated to on-field success.
And while the Broncos know that they cannot rely on the triumphs of the past as they face a new challenge in 2026, the group is confident it has what it takes to respond the right way.
"Coach Payton and [GM] George [Paton] have done a hell of a job of bringing in the right guys who will address it the right way," Allen said. "It was a really productive film [session] today. … The mood is everyone's just excited to get back to work and get on the practice field and just keep working their craft and finding ways to get better so last night doesn't happen again."
As the Broncos prepare to host the Jacksonville Jaguars — the only team to defeat Denver at Empower Field at Mile High during the 2025 regular season — in Week 2, the team knows a sense of urgency will be important.
"They're a talented group, and it's going to be another great test for us this weekend," McGlinchey said. "They're well coached on offense, defense, special teams. We've got to hit the ground running when we get back into the building on Thursday."
FOLLOWING OC DAVIS WEBB'S PLAY-CALLING DEBUT, PAYTON TALKS BENEFIT OF GAINING EXPERIENCE
The Broncos may have fallen short during Davis Webb's play-calling debut, but Payton is confident that the first-year offensive coordinator will continue to grow as he gains more experience leading Denver's offense.
"I think there's always that experience element that as you continue to do that, there's certain things you learn, things you prefer," Payton said. "And then I think most importantly, how is the game unfolding on the other side of the ball? It's so important to understand what's happening with our defense and the opponent's offense. A lot of that can guide you sometimes, relative to the risk tolerance you're willing to have on certain plays or series."
Quarterback Bo Nix also said following Monday's loss that the Broncos' offense could have put Webb in more favorable situations throughout the game. And as he alluded to Webb's ever-present commitment to self-improvement, Nix expressed confidence in his offensive coordinator's ability to respond in the weeks ahead.
"I think [he'll respond] exactly like he would've responded with a win," Nix said Monday. "He would've acted the same way, say it wasn't good enough, finding ways to continue going next week. I think he's going to move on really well."
