The Kansas City Chiefs will begin their 2026 regular season on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos.
It marks a fourth straight year the Chiefs will begin the season in prime time.
Kansas City is not only a ratings darling due to the star power of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, but the NFL always awards the very first game of the season to the defending Super Bowl champion, and the Chiefs, of course, won the Super Bowl after the 2023 and 2024 seasons, necessitating prime-time openers.
The Chiefs lost to the Detroit Lions and defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the 2023 and 2024 opening games, respectively.
Last year the Chiefs opened their season with a 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, and that game was streamed on YouTube on a Friday night.
Both Quarterbacks Are Coming Back From Injury
It has not been determined whether this Sept. 14 game will take place in Denver or Kansas City.
It also is unclear whether both starting quarterbacks will play.
Mahomes, the three-time Super Bowl MVP, tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14, but the Chiefs staff has been raving about his recovery from that season-ending injury.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Mahomes might even participate in organized team activities (OTAs), though that’s basically a non-contact passing camp.
“He is in a good position to be able to do some things,” Reid said. “He’s doing a lot of stuff right now.”
Quarterback Bo Nix had been expected to be ready for training camp after breaking a bone in his ankle on Jan. 18 during the AFC playoff win against the Buffalo Bills, but complicating matters is that it was revealed he underwent a second procedure on his surgically repaired right ankle during a follow-up visit with Dr. Norman Waldrop III in April.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton, though, downplayed the operation.
“He had a recheck that was scheduled,” Payton said. “He’s doing great. We’re excited about his progress. Nothing to report.”
Though the quarterbacks’ health is similarly in doubt, they are on opposite sides of the financial spectrum.
Mahomes is in the midst of a 10-year, $450 million contract — the longest and most lucrative deal in the NFL in terms of duration and overall value.
Meanwhile, Nix is entering the third year of his four-year, $18.6 million rookie contract.
Clash Of AFC West Titans
Mahomes missed the last game between the two, which Denver won 20-13 on Christmas, representing the third straight game the Broncos won against the rival Chiefs.
It was part of a changing of the guard after the Chiefs won nine straight AFC West titles before getting dethroned by the Broncos last year.
Before the Chiefs’ dominant run, the Broncos had won the AFC West five straight years, and just prior to that, the Chiefs won the division in 2010, meaning the last time a team beside the Chiefs or Broncos won the AFC West was in 2009.
The Chiefs aim to reclaim the division, and they can begin that push by winning the Week One contest on Monday Night Football.
