The Denver Broncos opened their 2026 preseason Friday night looking like a team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations. With first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb calling plays for just the second time in his career, Denver rolled past the Atlanta Falcons 27-7 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, building a 24-0 halftime lead behind a fast-starting offense that spent last season searching for exactly that kind of early burst.
The performance was only an exhibition, but it landed like a statement. The Broncos outgained the Falcons 360 yards to 178, piled up 24 first downs to Atlanta's 10, and controlled the line of scrimmage en route to a plus-113-yard rushing edge. For a team that won 14 games in 2025 mostly on grit, late-game heroics, and a defense that repeatedly rescued a sluggish offense, the sight of a humming attack — even in August — revived the loudest question in Denver: Can this roster actually win a championship?
Inside Davis Webb's Play-Calling Debut: How the Broncos Offense Hummed
Webb's night could hardly have started better. The Broncos took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in six plays for a touchdown with backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham under center. By the end of the first quarter, Denver had generated 167 yards at 8.8 yards per play and 11 first downs to Atlanta's one.
"I thought we controlled the line of scrimmage," head coach Sean Payton said afterward. Denver scored on three of its first four possessions, racing to a 17-0 lead on 217 total yards before the defense supplied its own fireworks: inside linebacker Karene Reid tipped a pass over the middle, and second-year cornerback Jahdae Barron hauled it in and raced for a long pick-six just before halftime.
Webb, a 31-year-old former NFL quarterback, was handed the play-sheet by Payton this offseason after serving as the team's quarterbacks coach. Payton dismissed any notion that Denver would hide its real offense during the preseason. "We're not thinking that," he said of saving plays for the regular season. "He's thinking about having his best night tonight."
The approach showed throughout the half. Stidham connected with Courtland Sutton on a 40-yard jump-ball before fullback Adam Prentice punched in a 1-yard touchdown, and running back Jaleel McLaughlin added a second-quarter score. The opening completion went to second-year wideout Pat Bryant, one of the breakout stories of training camp. "He's a confident player with strong hands," Payton said of Bryant.
From a 567-Yard Audition to the OC Chair: The Road to Friday Night
Webb's promotion did not come out of nowhere. A year ago, while still the quarterbacks coach, he called a preseason game against Arizona in which Denver rolled up 567 yards — a performance that stuck with Payton deep into the 2025 season and convinced him to seriously consider handing the play-sheet to his protégé.
The decision is one of the more fascinating moves of Denver's offseason. Payton has long been regarded as one of the NFL's best play designers and play-callers, so turning the duty over to Webb represents both a vote of confidence in a young coach and a bet that a fresh voice can unlock an offense that held the team back a season ago, especially in the first half.
Friday also extended a quieter Payton-era streak: after dropping the first two preseason games of his Denver tenure in 2023, the Broncos have now won eight consecutive exhibition games across four different seasons.
Why a Faster-Starting Offense Could Change Everything for Denver
The significance of Webb's debut goes beyond one August night. Denver won 14 games last season despite trailing at some point in 15 of them, compiling an 11-2 record in one-score contests — a level of late-game success that had oddsmakers and analysts across the league predicting regression in 2026.
The antidote, as Denver Post columnist Troy Renck wrote, is a percolating offense. "If the offense becomes a catalyst, the ceiling is the floor," Renck wrote, adding that these Broncos "can win a championship. This season."
A faster start would also free up defensive coordinator Vance Joseph's unit to play with more aggression. Denver produced two interceptions Friday — Barron's pick-six and a grab from cornerback Riley Moss that matched his total from all of last season. The Broncos recorded just 10 interceptions in 2025, and creating takeaways has been a point of emphasis for a defense that already ranks among the league's best.
Bo Nix, the starting quarterback, did not play Friday, as expected, leaving the preseason work to Stidham — who finished the first half 9-of-15 for 131 yards and a touchdown while leading three scoring drives. It was a meaningful rebound for the veteran, whose last game action came in Denver's AFC Championship loss to New England, when he was thrust into an unexpected start with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
"I feel like one of the things I try to hang my hat on is just putting my nose down and just working," Stidham said. "Obviously it didn't go our way in the championship game, but it's football. If you get knocked down, you've got to get right back to work."
Where the Broncos Stand After the Preseason Opener
The Broncos left Atlanta with more answers than questions. Webb looked comfortable commanding the offense, the running game bullied the Falcons up front, and several young players — Bryant, McLaughlin, Barron, and rookie running back Jonah Coleman among them — flashed the kind of depth that separates contenders from pretenders. Coleman, a fourth-round pick, rushed for 24 yards on four carries in his debut, drawing praise from Payton: "He's had a good camp. I liked his balance coming out of some of the tackles."
Payton offered his own wry take on the atmosphere at a sparsely filled Mercedes-Benz Stadium, noting "a lot of people dressed as empty seats." Crowd size aside, the Broncos treated the night like a dress rehearsal for something larger.
Renck's bottom line captured the mood in Denver: if the offense ranks in the top half of the league in most categories and scores around 27 points per game behind this defense, the destination is clear — a February trip to SoFi Stadium.
What's Next: A Season Opener at Kansas City
The real measuring stick arrives in about a month, when the Broncos open the regular season at Kansas City against the Chiefs and longtime defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. That matchup will mark Webb's regular-season debut as a play-caller and will test everything Denver showed Friday against a far more dangerous opponent.
Webb said over the summer that he believes the Broncos will carry an element of surprise into the early regular season. Payton waved off the idea that Denver is saving anything for Spagnuolo and the Chiefs. "No, no," he said. "We're not thinking that far ahead." For now, the focus remains on building confidence — in the run game, the play-action passing, and a first-year coordinator who just passed his first test.
The Bottom Line: Key Takeaways From Denver's Preseason Opener
- Davis Webb's second game as play-caller produced 359 total yards and 24 first downs in a 27-7 win over Atlanta.
- The Broncos scored on three of their first four drives and led 24-0 at halftime.
- Jahdae Barron returned an interception for a touchdown; Riley Moss added a second pick for a defense hungry for more takeaways.
- Sean Payton has won eight straight preseason games since dropping the first two of his tenure in 2023.
- Bo Nix sat out as planned, leaving the offense to Jarrett Stidham and a deep supporting cast that includes Pat Bryant and Jonah Coleman.
- Denver opens the regular season at Kansas City, where Webb will face the Chiefs' Steve Spagnuolo defense.
