Week 1: MNF - Broncos @ Chiefs

[Safety]

With the pre-season now behind us, we now look ahead 16 days to the season opener against KC on Monday Night Football to closeout Week 1 of the 2026 NFL Season.

A Prime Time AFC West Showdown in the City of Fountains!

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Denver Broncos vs. Kansas Chiefs
Venue: @ Sparrowhead Stadium
Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Kickoff: 6:15 MDT
Uniform: Summit Whites

Broadcast
National TV Broadcast: ESPN
Local TV Broadcast: ABC (Denver 7)
National Radio Broadcast: SiriusXM
Local Radio Broadcast: 850 AM KOA

Odds
Opening Line (Draft Kings): KC -3
O/O: 42.5
Money Line: +124 (DEN) / -148 (KC)

Head to Head
Meetings: 132 games
Regular Season Record: 59-73
Post-Season: 1-0 (AFC Divisional @ KC - Jan 1998)
@ Mile High: 38-28
@ Sparrowhead: 32-35

Win streak: (DEN) 3 in a row dating back to the 2024 season.

Most electric games: 2025 KC @ DEN (W), 2023 KC @ DEN (W), 2024 DEN @ KC (L), 1994 KC @ DEN (L), 2015 DEN @ KC (W), 1998 AFCDG DEN @ KC (W),

Notable Roster Losses: (DL) John Franklin Myers (Tennessee), (S) P.J. Locke (Dallas).

Notable Roster Additions: (WR) Jaylen Waddle (Miami), (RB) Jonah Coleman (Drafted/Rookie).

More to come over the next two weeks! It's go time!!!

 

[Duffman]

Any word on if Mahomes is playing?

 

[MileHigh64]

From everything I've been reading, we should expect Mahomes to be good to go. I'd rather it that way. No excuses when the Broncos show the league who they are this year. Go Broncos!

 

[Safety]

Any word on if Mahomes is playing?

I'd assume so since he was cleared to return to full practice as training camp kicked off.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id...s-fully-cleared-training-camp-feeling-amazing

 

[MileHigh64]

“In my understanding, Patrick Mahomes is on track to start Week 1, which, if you followed closely, the kind of training camp that he has had, this is no surprise,” insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said.


“He was out there on Day 1, and he has hit every check mark, and by all accounts has looked as good on the field, as really as he has had in several years. My understanding is, he’s had a better and more efficient training camp than really he has had in some time.”

 

[Safety]

“In my understanding, Patrick Mahomes is on track to start Week 1, which, if you followed closely, the kind of training camp that he has had, this is no surprise,” insider Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network said.


“He was out there on Day 1, and he has hit every check mark, and by all accounts has looked as good on the field, as really as he has had in several years. My understanding is, he’s had a better and more efficient training camp than really he has had in some time.”

It's not hard to look good in practice when no is touching you.

A live action game with a defense unleashing the hounds at you full speed, fresh off an ACL tear and recovery is a completely different thing than training camp.

 

[Black Adam]

Any word on if Mahomes is playing?

Yes. He's slated to play officially...

 

[Black Adam]

It's not hard to look good in practice when no is touching you.

A live action game with a defense unleashing the hounds at you full speed, fresh off an ACL tear and recovery is a completely different thing than training camp.

I'm guessing he'll wear a brace...

I'll trust the medical staff...

 

[LGM]

It's not hard to look good in practice when no is touching you.

A live action game with a defense unleashing the hounds at you full speed, fresh off an ACL tear and recovery is a completely different thing than training camp.

Having had a torn acl and surgery he's had 20 years ago, I have no doubt the people watching him at practice and the medical evaluators aren't blowing smoke up our collective asses. They aren't all named Chris Collinsworth.

 

[Draft Crazy]

Let's kick his @ss!!!!

 

[LGM]

Let's kick his @ss!!!!

Collinsworth, Mahomes, or their medical staff?

 

[Orange Crush77]

Collinsworth, Mahomes, or their medical staff?

Yes

 

[Safety]

I'm guessing he'll wear a brace...

I'll trust the medical staff...

I'm sure he will be wear a brace, but the real question is will he be 100% the way he was before the ACL injury? My guess is no. You're never the same afterwards. That's not to say he won't or can't be effective.

He better be concerned with his O-Line, because KC didn't do anything to help the O-Line in the draft. If they can't protect him, he won't have a pocket to throw from and he will be running for his life all night long.

 

[Safety]

The stats show Mahomes is on the decline.

Completions have been declining.
Completion % is declining.
Season Yardage is declining.
TD's are declining.
His yards per game has dropped off.
His rating is down.
His sacks have gone way up.
His QBR is down.

And he now has an ACL tear.

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[Black Adam]

I'm sure he will be wear a brace, but the real question is will he be 100% the way he was before the ACL injury? My guess is no. You're never the same afterwards. That's not to say he won't or can't be effective.

He better be concerned with his O-Line, because KC didn't do anything to help the O-Line in the draft. If they can't protect him, he won't have a pocket to throw from and he will be running for his life all night long.

I think we'll be ok there. We got some pretty good o-line depth in the office season...

And Mahomes has looked good in practice, moving fine. As I said, I'll trust the medical staff. Tom Brady went through the same and got more rings so I'm not all that concerned...

But thanks anyways...

 

[Safety]

I'm still not sure why Vegas has KC as a -3 favorite in this game.

Denver brings back their roster intact with several key additions. Won the AFC West and went to the AFCCG.

KC went 6-11, lost Mahomes to an ACL and didn't improve their offensive line and lost McDuffee. Something's not adding up here.

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ESPN always picks against Denver for some dumb reason.
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The majority of picks are on Denver.
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[cdumler7]

I think we'll be ok there. We got some pretty good o-line depth in the office season...

And Mahomes has looked good in practice, moving fine. As I said, I'll trust the medical staff. Tom Brady went through the same and got more rings so I'm not all that concerned...

But thanks anyways...

That RT spot though is looking dire at this time. Given our starting edge on that side is most likely missing the game, but I could see that being the matchup of the game that decides whether Mahomes has time to work in the pocket or if he is running for his life on a recovering knee.

 

[Black Adam]

That RT spot though is looking dire at this time. Given our starting edge on that side is most likely missing the game, but I could see that being the matchup of the game that decides whether Mahomes has time to work in the pocket or if he is running for his life on a recovering knee.

Agreed. I definitely wanna see how well he's getting protected because offensively that's huge. Honestly I've been one of the biggest fans saying that they needed to improve protecting our "crown jewel" for a long time. Hoping Brett Veach finally listened to me...

 

[cdumler7]

Agreed. I definitely wanna see how well he's getting protected because offensively that's huge. Honestly I've been one of the biggest fans saying that they needed to improve protecting our "crown jewel" for a long time. Hoping Brett Veach finally listened to me...

Today's NFL the OL makeup has changed quite a bit. Used to be as long as you had 2 good tackles you were fine. With the level of athleticism on the interior DL now though instead of having a couple of studs and the rest meh you have to be quality across all 5 positions because teams will figure out how to take advantage of a weakness. LG and RT for you guys are definitely questions at this time. The rest look very promising. Simmons if his head is right this year looks like a steal for the LT spot and we already know Humphrey and Trey Smith are studs.

I'm also interested to see how these weapons look for Mahomes. It is kind of a weird mashup of players. Cyrus Allen looks like he could be something for you guys. Rice looks slow coming off injury so going to be interesting to see how he progresses in his recovery as well. Kelce with it being his final year I wonder if he will have a resurgence trying to put everything he has left out on the field. And of course having a stronger run game should help ease some of the burden for Mahomes.

Quite the 1st game matchup for both of our teams. If this game was in Denver I would be feeling a whole lot better. This pass rush with Mahomes most likely not 100% yet I would be betting on them making life hell for him and that offense. It being in KC though it is definitely one of the tougher places to play in the league.

 

[Black Adam]

Today's NFL the OL makeup has changed quite a bit. Used to be as long as you had 2 good tackles you were fine. With the level of athleticism on the interior DL now though instead of having a couple of studs and the rest meh you have to be quality across all 5 positions because teams will figure out how to take advantage of a weakness. LG and RT for you guys are definitely questions at this time. The rest look very promising. Simmons if his head is right this year looks like a steal for the LT spot and we already know Humphrey and Trey Smith are studs.

I'm also interested to see how these weapons look for Mahomes. It is kind of a weird mashup of players. Cyrus Allen looks like he could be something for you guys. Rice looks slow coming off injury so going to be interesting to see how he progresses in his recovery as well. Kelce with it being his final year I wonder if he will have a resurgence trying to put everything he has left out on the field. And of course having a stronger run game should help ease some of the burden for Mahomes.

Quite the 1st game matchup for both of our teams. If this game was in Denver I would be feeling a whole lot better. This pass rush with Mahomes most likely not 100% yet I would be betting on them making life hell for him and that offense. It being in KC though it is definitely one of the tougher places to play in the league.

I mean obviously it's early on and there'll be more to figure out as the season rolls along, but your assessment is pretty much spot on. I'll add that on paper our running game has gotten a very needed shot in the arm, so it should go a ways in helping with play action, and the habit of dropping everyone and his brother into pass coverage and only rushing 4 guys(I got really tired of seeing that lol)...

In any case, good luck, and I hope we see a good game Monday night...

 

[Clayton]

The stats show Mahomes is on the decline.

Completions have been declining.
Completion % is declining.
Season Yardage is declining.
TD's are declining.
His yards per game has dropped off.
His rating is down.
His sacks have gone way up.
His QBR is down.

And he now has an ACL tear.

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I think in general its probably worth mentioning that Kingsley Suamataia was the week 1 starting LT in 2024 and he will spend his career at LG probably. 'Mahomes in decline' might in most part be a 'Chiefs have had a LT problem' especially when you dig into the chaos that was 2025. Esa Pole I believe just got cut and was the guy they were relying on down the stretch last year. I realize the Chiefs have never been solid at LT but Id say that had mediocre play before that.

The degree in which the Chiefs are currently prioritizing inside-out is rather striking. Id also say the Chiefs have to get something from all of their first round picks the past 5 or so years. I think its pretty easy to say if all of their 1st round picks disappoint that the Chiefs will miss the playoffs and Veach will have a different job. More of a median expectation should have the Chiefs being a good team imo