The Denver Broncos went through the 2025 season winning 14 games and coming extremely close to reaching the Super Bowl. The team was hardly ever credited and was looked at as an overachiever all season, prompting this famous quote from quarterback Bo Nix.
The Broncos are seen as one of the top contenders coming into the 2026 season, but is it just those within the organization and fans inside Broncos Country who see it that way? Will the team be fighting for respect all season?
Following the release of the full schedule for the 2026 season, the Broncos were quickly made underdogs in the Week 1 game on Monday Night Football against the Kansas City Chiefs. According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Broncos have opened as a slight 2.5-point underdog on the road.
Broncos open as Week 1 underdog against Kansas City
Now, maybe it's a bit much to be surprised by this. After all, it is the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium and clearly, oddsmakers expect them to be back after a terrible 2025 season in which they missed the playoffs entirely. It should be somewhat expected that the Chiefs get the benefit of the doubt as favorites by less than a field goal.
But the Broncos don't have to see it that way. They are the defending AFC West champions. They beat Kansas City twice last year and they have nearly all of the same roster back this season. It's uncertain if Patrick Mahomes will even be ready to play, though the oddsmakers clearly feel that he will be on the field.
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These odds can and likely will change before the game actually kicks off on September 14. But for the time being, the chip on the collective shoulder of the Broncos has a chance to grow a bit more.
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