The Broncos open the season with a heavyweight test, and Monday night brings it straight to a national audience. Denver gets the Chiefs at home to start the year, with the Broncos trying to back up a 14-3 2025 season and protect the AFC West crown they just claimed. Kansas City, meanwhile, is trying to put a rough 6-11 season behind it after missing the postseason for the first time since 2014.
That’s the backdrop for a game that could echo later in the playoff picture. If Denver wants to keep the momentum rolling after sweeping Kansas City last season, it’ll need its biggest names to show up in a big way.
One place the Broncos could really tilt the game is up front. Denver sacked Patrick Mahomes three times in last year’s meeting, and this matchup sets up to be even tougher on the Chiefs quarterback.
Mahomes is returning from a torn ACL, which could affect how he moves, and he’ll also be operating without starting left tackle Josh Simmons, who is out with an injury. Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson is set to start, and that gives Denver’s pass rush a clear target.
Against a shaky line and a quarterback still working back from injury, the Broncos have a real chance to make life miserable for Mahomes.
Denver’s new weapon in the passing game could also make an immediate splash. Jaylen Waddle is set for his Broncos debut after Denver paid a steep price to bring him over from the Miami Dolphins, including a first-round pick.
He brings elite speed and sharp route-running, and he should be central to the offense right away. Kansas City has two new starting cornerbacks after parting with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson this offseason, and Kristian Fulton along with rookie Mansoor Delane will have a difficult assignment against Denver’s deep receiver group.
That could leave Waddle as the biggest beneficiary. With Bo Nix likely looking his way often, a 100-yard night - and maybe even a touchdown - is on the table.
The Broncos could also lean on the ground game to keep the pressure off their quarterback and away from Mahomes. JK Dobbins did not play in either matchup against Kansas City last year, so this will be his first crack at the rivalry.
Denver would love to control the tempo with its rushing attack, especially against a Chiefs defense that finished top-10 against the run last season. Still, the Broncos have one of the league’s best offensive lines, and Dobbins has plenty to prove after a season-ending injury in Week 10 last year.
A 100-yard performance would fit the script for Denver and give Dobbins a strong start in this rivalry.
In Other News...
Broncos Had A Wild Quarterback Emergency After Bo Nix Went Down
Bo Nixs broken ankle late in the AFC Divisional Round suddenly left the Broncos searching for answers at the games most important position, and the urgency stretched far beyond the immediate aftermath. With an AFC Championship Game looming, Denvers coaching staff had to explore every realistic option, turning a playoff injury into a full-blown quarterback emergency at exactly the wrong time.
According to Adam Schefter, Broncos assistants Pete Carmichael and Joe Lombardi reached out to Drew Brees to see whether the former Saints star might have any interest in ending his retirement for one more run. Brees passed because of wrist discomfort, closing off one of the most intriguing emergency fixes imaginable, even with his past ties to Sean Payton from their New Orleans days hanging over the conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Faces A Bigger Bo Nix Question After Broncos Collapse
Bo Nixs afternoon against Kansas City was the kind of game that leaves a coach searching for answers in every direction. The Broncos quarterback finished with 17 completions for 131 yards and a touchdown, but the turnovers and the overall sloppiness in the loss turned what should have been another measuring-stick game into a fresh reminder of how fragile Denvers offense still is.
Sean Payton now has a much bigger quarterback conversation on his hands, especially with outside voices already wondering whether changes could come at Nix or offensive coordinator Davis Webb. Nix, for his part, pointed to execution rather than play-calling, saying the Broncos were running the calls they were given but not carrying them out well enough, which only deepens the frustration after a defeat that felt like it opened more questions than it answered. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Reignited An NFL Double Standard Debate Fans Know Well
During ESPNs Monday Night Football coverage of the Broncos-Chiefs game, sideline reporter Laura Rutledge noted that Denver defender Jonathon Cooper was out because he had been placed on the commissioners exempt list after domestic violence charges. It was a sharp in-game reference to a serious off-field issue, the kind of subject broadcasts often handle carefully when a players availability is affected by more than just injury or coaching decisions.
Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons quickly took issue with ESPN bringing Coopers legal situation into the telecast, and the pushback helped reopen an old argument about where game coverage should draw the line. The reaction from former players and fans has once again put ESPNs treatment of player controversies under the microscope, especially when the topic lands in the middle of a nationally televised rivalry game. [Read more 🡒]