DENVER — Sean Payton may have had warm feelings bubbling up as he watched starting quarterback Bo Nix lead a touchdown Friday night for the first time since suffering a devastating ankle injury on the doorstep of a Super Bowl.By the end of a 33-13 blowout loss to the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High, though, a defeat that snapped Denver’s multi-year preseason winning streak at eight games, anything positive Payton felt about the contest had become a distant memory.“It seems like six hours ago, so I’m having trouble with his (two) series or whatnot,” Payton said of Nix’s first appearance of this preseason drive, a 15-play stint in which the quarterback completed 6-of-9 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown and led Denver to 10 points. “I thought he was solid.”Top Plays from Packers @ BroncosIn reality, the Broncos probably couldn’t have hoped for much more from Nix in his first — albeit brief — game action since his injury in an overtime playoff win against the Bills. That setback forced Nix to miss the team’s narrow AFC Championship Game loss one week later and set in motion an offseason of rehab that included a surgery in January and a second procedure to remove bone spurs in April. His performance was the latest reminder, on the heels of a training camp in which Nix has taken every rep with the first team, that the quarterback has returned to form.“I felt like exactly where I left off,” Nix said. “Honestly, I felt better over time. I think the extra clean-up surgery was good for me because it put me back to square one. It’s as good as I’ve felt in a long time.”Payton lamented that the Broncos were outplayed in nearly every area Friday. “Pick a topic,” he said, “and we lost that battle.” But the Broncos did own the game’s longest pass — and the 35-yard connection from Nix to new wide receiver Jaylen Waddle was about more than a single play.The pass Nix made on his third snap of the game hit Waddle in the middle of an open patch of grass up the seam on third-and-5 — and Denver’s blockbuster offseason acquisition sped ahead from there to turn his first touch in a Broncos uniform into the game’s most explosive play. His release at the top of the route — a blink-and-you-miss-it cut inside that freed him from safety Xavier McKinney — helped Waddle emerge wide open as Nix hit the top of his dropback. Waddle had to wait a beat for Nix’s throw to arrive, or it might have been an even bigger gain. The quarterback is still learning how to calibrate his delivery to accommodate Waddle’s smooth speed, but the duo is clearly making strides. The splash play Friday came two days after Nix hit Waddle for a 60-yard touchdown in 11-on-11 work after the wide receiver beat his former college teammate, cornerback Pat Surtain II, on a deep route.“We’re still building that chemistry,” said Waddle, who sat out last week’s preseason opener as he continued to recover from a soft-tissue injury in his leg suffered early in training camp. “We’re just going to continue to build it in practice and get those quality reps in.”Three plays after the throw to Waddle, Nix dropped back on another third down and waited for running back RJ Harvey to create space on a wheel route up the right sideline. Nix stepped forward and lofted a ball toward the front corner of the end zone that Harvey snatched for a 21-yard touchdown. The quarterback stood firm in the pocket Friday when afforded time and escaped when the rush forced him to. He moved to his right to make completions to Jonah Coleman and Adam Trautman and generally looked comfortable and in command with offensive coordinator Davis Webb feeding him plays for the first time.“It’s a morale booster, man,” pass rusher Que Robinson said of seeing Nix back on the field. “He had an injury and everyone wants to see him well. To see him bounce back from that and be the Bo we all know and love is a tremendous thing.”Seeing Nix be efficient in his return may have provided teammates with added reassurance that their franchise quarterback is ready to go, equipped with a speedy new target who clearly adds a dimension to Denver’s attack. But it did little to soothe the head coach’s frustration after the game, which extended beyond its lopsided score.“Obviously, that wasn’t good enough,” Payton said. “Pick a topic. Pick penalties, we lose there. Kickoff and kickoff return, we lose that battle. Rushing numbers, we lose that. We can’t just say, ‘Hey, this is preseason (game) two.’ Each phase saw their fair share of what ended up being the final score. We have to be able to come in and look closely at what we’re doing and get the corrections made. You can’t not pay attention to these games, these scrimmages, these important steps toward the start of the regular season.”The Broncos lost the rushing battle (118 yards to 70), gave up a 68-yard kickoff return in the second quarter and committed twice as many penalties as the Packers (10 to five). Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham threw an interception on the first play of a hurry-up drive at the end of the second quarter, leading to one of Green Bay rookie kicker Trey Smack’s four field goals. Payton lamented a neutral zone infraction by Nik Bonitto on Green Bay’s first drive on third-and-five that gifted the Packers a first down.When Webb yanked starting tackles Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey out of a team period in practice earlier this week after they committed penalties, he said it was because “it’s not our standard.”“There’s been really good offensive production here in the history of this organization, and we went through that in OTAs,” Webb said. “And if we’re not up to that standard, you will be taken out. I don’t care if you’re a starter or a backup.”Friday showed the Broncos still have work to do to operate consistently at that standard, with the Week 1 kickoff against the Chiefs rapidly approaching.Other takeaways from Friday’s game:Moss exits earlyOne major question coming out of this game for the Broncos will center on Riley Moss’ health.The fourth-year cornerback injured his ribs during Denver’s first defensive series. He left the field with two trainers and did not join his teammates on the sideline when the second half began. He was replaced on that opening drive by second-year defensive back Jahdae Barron.Payton said, “We’ll see,” when asked for an update on Moss after the game.Moss has been one of Denver’s most consistent performers during this training camp. He had an interception in the preseason opener last week and broke up Jordan Love’s first pass Friday, smothering wide receiver Christian Watson and then knocking the ball from his hands.Barron, Denver’s first-round pick in 2025, has played more outside corner in this camp than he did during his rookie season. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said the Broncos still plan to use Barron as a versatile piece who can play dime, nickel and even safety in certain situations. It was notable, though, that Barron was the first corner in after Moss went down ahead of third-year player Kris Abrams-Draine.How much will Denver lean on Robinson?Que Robinson was already moving like a locomotive in the third quarter when he dipped low and moved his shoulder to avoid the reach of Green Bay tackle Brant Banks. Without slowing down, Robinson popped back up and bounced on Packers quarterback Kyle McCord for a drive-ending sack.The payoff for the Broncos’ emerging second-year pass rusher always seemed to be coming Friday night. He was a constant in the Green Bay backfield, giving chase to backup Tyrod Taylor in the first half before dropping McCord in the third quarter. He was called for a questionable roughing the passer penalty in the second quarter. Officials determined Robinson landed on the quarterback with his full weight, though it was hard to tell on replay what the linebacker could have done to avoid the outcome. There will be fine coaching points Robinson can take when the play is reviewed, but he created the kind of havoc Friday that mirrors what he has done for much of his second training camp.Que Robinson sacks Kyle McCord in the second half on Friday. (Tyler Schank / Getty Images)“You’ve got to make it count,” Robinson said of the extended playing time he has had in this preseason. “This is a great defense. We’ve got Nik (Bonitto) and Jonah (Elliss) and Coop (Jonathon Cooper) and all those guys out there giving their all. When I get my opportunity, I feel like I’d be doing them a disservice if I don’t do the same.”The Broncos clearly want to find ways to get Robinson on the field this season. That was one of Joseph’s takeaways when reviewing film from Denver’s 2025 season, an audit that came after Robinson recorded an impressive sack of Drake Maye in the AFC Championship Game. The question now is how soon the Broncos will be leaning on Robinson to make an impact.The NFL is investigating Cooper, the team’s starting outside linebacker, in the wake of an alleged incident of domestic violence in June that resulted in Cooper’s arrest. It is possible the league could hand Cooper a suspension ahead of the season, even as the veteran’s legal case — he’s next due in court Aug. 31 — continues to unfold. Any missed time for Cooper would undoubtedly increase Robinson’s role, but he’s looking more like a player who needs to be on the field consistently no matter what the depth chart looks like.Payton mum on finalePayton on Friday would not say whether veteran running back J.K. Dobbins would play in the preseason finale next week at home against the Vikings. Dobbins warmed up and was in uniform against the Packers, but he didn’t see the field. Harvey started for a second straight game while rookie Jonah Coleman rushed three times for 9 yards.Dobbins did not play in the preseason last year and he’s dealt with a minor soft-tissue injury in training camp, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Broncos waited until the Week 1 opener in Kansas City on Sept. 14 to hand Dobbins the ball.Payton earlier this month said that Nix would play in the second and third preseason games, but the coach wouldn’t confirm Friday that Nix would indeed get one more tune-up appearance. Payton, in keeping with a theme of frustration after Friday’s game, said that he wants to play his starters “until the third quarter next week,” though the comment appeared to be made in jest. Playing starters for an extended stretch in the final preseason game would not fall in line with how Payton has handled this period of the schedule since taking over as Denver’s coach in 2023.“So let’s figure out the tape, see where we’re at and let’s do what’s best for us as we prepare for the Chiefs,” Payton said.