The Chiefs opened 2026 with a statement win over the Broncos, but the injury picture around that victory was busy enough to shape the conversation heading into Week 2. Kansas City is 1-0 after handling Denver, yet the short week brings a new set of questions before Sunday Night Football against the Indianapolis Colts.
The biggest dose of optimism comes with first-round rookie cornerback Mansoor Delane. He made his presence felt right away, snagging Bo Nix on Denver’s first drive and flashing the kind of playmaking that can change the feel of a rebuilt secondary.
The scare came when Delane landed awkwardly on the same shoulder that bothered him during OTAs, an issue that kept him out of mandatory minicamp and most of the preseason in a limited role. Still, the update is encouraging: further tests were negative, and Andy Reid said Wednesday that Delane should be available against the Colts, even though he was downgraded from questionable to out during Week 1.
Kansas City also took a hit at linebacker, and this one is more immediate. Cooper McDonald left the game with a knee injury, and on Wednesday the Chiefs placed him on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four games.
That leaves the group thinner than it already was after Leo Chenal’s departure in free agency. Jeffrey Bassa is set for more snaps, while Jack Cochrane is likely to remain in the mix despite his penalty issues, because Steve Spagnuolo clearly trusts him.
If McDonald is healthy, he can return after the scheduled Week 5 bye, which would line him up for a Week 6 comeback against the L.A. Chargers.
The secondary remains a work in progress too, and Chamarri Conner is part of that uncertainty. A Monday Night Football graphic during the game made the point bluntly: none of the Chiefs’ four main starters from last season’s secondary were available in Week 1.
Conner, the only one still on the roster, sat out the opener with a knee injury and was still out of practice Wednesday. The encouraging part is that he hasn’t been put on injured reserve, which suggests the Chiefs expect him back before Week 4.
There’s also the lingering Josh Simmons situation at left tackle. He was the injury that had people checking social media all the way through the Week 1 lead-up, and the concerns were easy to understand.
Kansas City’s 2025 first-round pick had already dealt with injuries and personal reasons last season, then missed the back end of training camp because of a back issue. Simmons did not start against Denver, forcing the Chiefs to turn to undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson, who held up well in his NFL regular-season debut, especially against a Broncos defense expected to target him.
Simmons stayed out of practice Wednesday, so his Week 2 status remains unsettled. Benson showed he can handle the job, but the Chiefs are better when Simmons is at left tackle.
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Kelce later pointed to a past incident involving Ravens kicker Justin Tucker as the kind of competitive moment he meant, while Patrick Mahomes backed the idea that Kansas Citys pregame routine matters. Mahomes also noted that kickers have occasionally failed to move out of the way during warmups, a small but familiar irritation that can sharpen the mood long before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
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Tom Cruise Had The Perfect Reaction To Arrowheads Chiefs Atmosphere
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Cruises comments added another layer to the now-familiar intersection of Chiefs football and pop-culture attention around the teams biggest games. He also mentioned Swifts growing knowledge of football, which only reinforces how often Kansas Citys spotlight extends beyond the field these days, even before the conversation gets to what it looked and sounded like inside Arrowhead on that particular night. [Read more 🡒]