Broncos special-teams coordinator Tom McMahon stood at the 45-yard line in front of the team’s bench, his hands on knees as he stared out onto the field with consternation.



Or maybe desperation.



Directly in front of him, Colby Wadman fielded the snap and, instead of punting, took off running to the opposite sideline as a trio of Chiefs defenders closed in on him. As Wadman turned to look up field, safety Armani Watts plowed into him, knocking him back for a loss of 7 yards and ending a bizarre and botched play that had no chance of success.



As Wadman slowly stood to his feet, McMahon stood up too and trudged back to the middle of the sideline with his head hung low in dismay.



And yet, that wasn’t the most troubling aspect of the Broncos’ 30-6 loss to the Chiefs on Thursday that left Patrick Mahomes injured, Joe Flacco battered and a crowd of more than 70,000 booing and heading for the exits by the third quarter.



“To...