Monday Night Football opens up with a doozy, pitting the reigning AFC West champions against the squad that dominated the division with nine straight first-place finishes before finally losing the throne.
How will the Broncos fare at long last being chased rather than acting as the chasers? Denver topped the AFC West in 2025 and finished as the top seed in the conference by going 14-3. Despite their mighty record, they’ll kick off the new campaign fighting against a regression narrative: The Broncos had 11 one-possession wins last year, tying the 2024 Chiefs and 2022 Vikings -- two clubs that would go on to miss the playoffs the following season -- for the most in NFL history.
Their opponents, the Chiefs, will be looking to pick themselves back up after a shocking six-win campaign that marked their first losing season since 2012. Was it a true sign of the end, or simply the setup to a redemptive chapter in Kansas City’s dynasty? Beating the Broncos, who bested them in a pair of one-possession games last year, would nudge the answer toward the latter.
These two teams will meet again in Week 8, when we have a much clearer picture of where their seasons are heading, but first they’ll have a chance to set the tone in a star-studded Week 1 finale.
Three must-know storylines
1) Both QBs are coming off major injuries
Patrick Mahomes is set to make his much-anticipated return after tearing his ACL in Week 15 last season. His reward for working his way back to the field in roughly nine months? Facing a ferocious Denver defense that has led the league in sacks for two straight years. He will also be without left tackle Josh Simmons due to a back injury, putting undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson in line to serve as his blindside blocker. It’s a heck of a test, but the two-time Most Valuable Player is as capable as anyone of working his way through it. Whereas Mahomes didn’t play at all in the preseason, Bo Nix suited up for two drives in Denver’s second preseason game as part of his process of coming back from a broken ankle suffered in the Divisional Round. He looked comfortable in the limited action, going 6 of 9 for 76 yards and a touchdown, but he wasn’t required to move around a ton and test out his mobility. It’ll be the real deal against the Chiefs, who will do their best to flush him out and make him uncomfortable.
2) Broncos, Chiefs taking different backfield approaches
Denver enters the season with a deep, versatile running back room. J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey, who combined for 1,705 scrimmage yards and 16 scores last season, are back atop the depth chart. Dobbins is the better all-around back, but he’s struggled to stay on the field throughout his career, as evidenced by the running back missing the Broncos’ final nine games last season, including playoffs. He nonetheless led the team in rushing yards as Harvey proved dynamic in the passing game but took time to find his footing. They won’t be powering Denver’s ground game alone, though. Despite being listed third on the depth chart, rookie Jonah Coleman has the talent to carve out a role sooner rather than later, giving Sean Payton three ball-carriers with which to attack Kansas City’s front. The Chiefs are likely to feature more of a solo act. After missing out on playing in the Super Bowl for just the second time in seven years, they signed the Super Bowl LX MVP, Kenneth Walker III. It’s been a while since Andy Reid’s Chiefs utilized a true workhorse running back, such as when Kareem Hunt shouldered the load during his first stint in Kansas City or Jamaal Charles spearheaded the attack during Reid’s early years with the club. Both produced tremendous results, and now 2026 figures to be the KWIII show. He’ll play a vital role in helping the offense function at a high level while Patrick Mahomes gets fully back to himself.
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3) Broncos’ upgraded passing attack vs. Chiefs’ new-look secondary
After finishing last season with an offense that ranked just above average (14th in points scored), the Broncos went out and traded for an X-factor: Jaylen Waddle. The perception of Waddle might have taken a bit of a hit, first as he took a backseat to Tyreek Hill in Miami and then as the Dolphins offense waned in effectiveness the past couple years, but he is a highly efficient pass-catching weapon. In three of the past four seasons, Waddle has finished as a top-15 WR in yards per route, twice ranking in the top six, per NFL Pro. He is the perfect complement to Courtland Sutton, and there were rave reviews of Pat Bryant out of camp, too. The trio’s task will be to dismantle a Kansas City secondary transformed by the offseason. The Chiefs defense lost six players who started 10-plus games last season, including safety Bryan Cook, cornerback Jaylen Watson and CB Trent McDuffie. K.C. let the former two walk in free agency and traded McDuffie to the Rams, part of a recurring strategy by general manager Brett Veach to reshuffle his secondary rather than pay big-money extensions. He did the same in 2024 with L'Jarius Sneed, who is back and joined by 2026 No. 6 overall pick Mansoor Delane and free-agent signing Alohi Gilman as part of the new-look defensive backfield. The difference in the game could come down to which revamped group starts the season stronger.