Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton saw a silver lining in his team's 19-8 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on TNF.

Sean Payton liked the Broncos' effort and their red-zone defense, per The Athletic's Nick Kosmider.

“Sean Payton said he is disappointed, but not discouraged by Denver's loss tonight…Said the team played hard and was particularly impressed with the red-zone defense,” Kosmider tweeted.

The Chiefs had a 16-0 lead through three quarters. Denver didn't score until quarterback Russell Wilson threw a touchdown pass to Courtland Sutton with 6:07 left in the game.

The Broncos had one of the worst offenses in the NFL last season. Their 21.5 points-per-game average currently ranks them 19th in the league. Denver mustered just 197 all-purpose yards against the Chiefs. In contrast, the Chiefs had 389 total yards.

The biggest discrepancy lay in the passing game. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson completed 13 of 22 passes for 95 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. His counterpart, Patrick Mahomes, completed 30 of 40 passes for 306 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Wilson also had two of the Broncos' three turnovers.

Sean Payton also had his shortcomings in this game. He called a questionable timeout late in the first half that allowed Mahomes to move the sticks within field goal range.

“That's a boneheaded mistake by me. They were calling one as well, and I was off by a down. That's stupid,” Sean Payton said after the game.

The road doesn't get any easier for the Broncos. They will face the Chiefs again two weeks from now. They will play Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.

While Sean Payton sees a faint glimmer of hope, it's evident the Broncos have to address a lot of issues moving forward.