If the Denver Broncos‘ offense keeps sputtering, Sean Payton should keep the door open to calling plays again, Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton wrote Thursday.

The Broncos lost 31-10 at Kansas City on Monday in offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s first regular-season game with the call sheet.

Payton announced the change in February at the NFL scouting combine. It was the first time in his head-coaching career that someone else would call plays full time.

Payton began considering Webb for the job during the 2025 season.

“I would only do that if I felt like it would help our team,” Payton said at the combine, per The Associated Press.

Webb is 31. He spent three seasons as a backup quarterback in Buffalo and coached Denver’s quarterbacks in 2023 and 2024. He was promoted after Joe Lombardi was dismissed following the 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to New England.

Denver finished with 10 points and 176 total yards, according to Moton.

At halftime, with the Broncos down 14-7, ESPN’s Laura Rutledge asked Payton how it felt not to call plays.

“Ask me in another half here,” Payton said.

Moton wrote that the non-answer fed speculation Payton could take the job back. In the same interview, Payton said Denver needed to run the ball more efficiently to take pressure off Bo Nix. Moton noted the Broncos’ running backs carried 11 times all night.

Moton also pointed to drops by Jaylen Waddle, Courtland Sutton and Pat Bryant.

Kenneth Walker III ran 23 times for 173 yards and a touchdown for Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes, playing for the first time since tearing his ACL, completed 15 of 27 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns.

Brandon Jones intercepted Mahomes in the third quarter and returned it to the Kansas City 5, but Denver settled for a Wil Lutz field goal. Nix lost a strip-sack fumble to end the quarter.

Payton also mentioned that the staff had no plans to evaluate Webb’s calls on a weekly basis.

Denver hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT.