The Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos are back in the spotlight to open the season, and this one already carries plenty of weight for an AFC West that figures to be tight again. Patrick Mahomes’ return from injury and Denver showing up as the defending AFC West champs only sharpen the focus on a rivalry that has taken on a different look in recent years.
Kansas City still owns the bigger picture by a wide margin. Monday night will be the 133rd meeting between the teams, and the Chiefs lead the all-time series 73-59.
A huge chunk of that advantage came from the 16-game winning streak Kansas City put together from 2015 to 2023. The Chiefs also controlled the rivalry early on, winning heavily in the 1960s and early 1970s.
But the current form of the matchup tells a different story. Andy Reid is 17-9 against Denver during his time as Chiefs head coach, and for a stretch many of those games felt like routine Kansas City wins.
That has changed over the last three years. Since Reid and Sean Payton became rival head coaches in the AFC West, Denver has gone 4-2 in the last six meetings.
The Broncos swept last season’s series and have won three straight overall against Kansas City.
That recent run has put a fresh edge on a rivalry that still belongs to the Chiefs in the standings, even if the Broncos have had the upper hand lately. The last Kansas City win in the series came in a game where a blocked field goal proved decisive, and without it the Chiefs would be looking at an even longer skid heading into Monday night.
So the questions are right there for Week 1: can Kansas City snap the losing streak and keep stretching its all-time lead, or does Denver land the first punch in the 2026 AFC West race? Either way, the league got the timing right by putting this one in prime time to finish Week 1.
In Other News...
Chiefs Broadcast Sparked A Debate ESPN Probably Knew Was Coming
During ESPNs Monday Night Football coverage of the Chiefs-Broncos game, sideline reporter Laura Rutledge explained why Denver defender Jonathon Cooper was not available, noting that he is on the commissioners exempt list after two June arrests tied to domestic violence charges. It was the kind of in-game update that can quickly shift from routine availability news into something much heavier, especially on a stage as visible as a Chiefs game in prime time.
Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons later criticized ESPN for bringing up Coopers legal situation during the broadcast, while others pushed back and said the network was simply giving viewers context for his absence. For Kansas City fans watching an AFC West opponent unfold on the national stage, the episode became part of a broader debate over how broadcasters should handle player controversies when the game itself is still very much in front of them. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Secondary Gets A Timely Reunion With Bigger Implications
The Chiefs added a familiar name to their taxi squad after their Week 1 win, bringing cornerback Melvin Smith Jr. back into the fold. Smith had been on the Titans 53-man roster earlier, but after being waived and going unclaimed, he found his way back to Kansas City, where the team already knows what it is getting in terms of familiarity and fit.
Kansas City has not announced any corresponding roster move to make room for Smith on the practice squad, which leaves a small bit of roster housekeeping still unresolved. Even so, the return of a player with that kind of team context is the sort of quiet transaction that can matter later, especially for a secondary that always has to be ready for attrition over the long haul. [Read more 🡒]
Andy Reid Dug Deep For A Chiefs Touchdown Fans Didn't See Coming
For a Week 1 team still settling into the rhythm of a new season, Andy Reid reached way back to add something fresh to the Kansas City offense. The Chiefs coach put Patrick Mahomes and Justin Fields on the field together in a look few fans would have expected, then turned to a play concept that dates back to the 1930s and was brought back into the conversation by longtime ESPN broadcaster Chris Berman. Kansas City studied old film to learn the design, then carried it onto the field and cashed in with a touchdown by Kenneth Walker.
It was the sort of wrinkle Reid can pull when he wants to keep a defense guessing, and it gave the Chiefs another reminder that the playbook does not always have to stay in the present tense. The Heisman look worked in the game, but it also left open a bigger question for opponents: if Kansas City is willing to dust off something this unusual in September, what else might Reid have tucked away for later? [Read more 🡒]