The first Monday Night game of the season is between two AFC West heavyweights, the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs. The divisional race begins at Arrowhead Stadium and the headliner in this game is the return of two-time MVP, Patrick Mahomes. Denver has won three straight against Kansas City, but Mahomes only played in one of those three games.
The Denver Broncos had the NFL’s longest hitting streak last year, snapping an incredible 11 straight after starting 1-2. Denver made the AFC Championship, but lost to New England, 10-7 with a backup QB Jarrett Stidham in the following Bo NixHis injury in the win over the Chargers. This offseason, Denver added WR Jaylen Waddle (Miami), drafted RB Jonah Coleman (Washington), and returned basically everyone on defense from a year ago. The Broncos’ defense ranked third in yards per game (283.4), sixth in third down percentage (35.5%) and led the NFL in sacks per game (4.0).
Patrick Mahomes is coming off a torn ACL and LCL he suffered in December against the Chargers. Mahomes was released in July to all football activists and has not missed a training camp or preseason practice until the preseason finale. He’s on track to start Week 1, and Kansas City is favored over a Denver team that made the AFC Championship Game a year ago. The Chiefs may have solved their biggest problem last year, which was the play-action pass. With the addition of RB Kenneth Walker III (Seattle), Kansas City has a respectable ground game that demands attention. Mahomes was shotgun over 80% of snaps last year, which ranked third. That won’t be the case this year.
Let’s dive into the numbers and see if we can’t find an extra sweat or two.
NBC Sports has all the latest information and analysis you need, including how to tune in for kickoff, odds from DraftKings, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our expert staff.
Game details and how to watch Broncos at Chiefs
· date: Monday, September 14, 2026
· time: 8:15 PM ET
· YOUR: Arrowhead Stadium
· town: Kansas City, MO
· TV/Broadcasting: ESPN/ABC
NBC Sports is your home for all the latest updates on this match, featuring live odds, player news, expert analysis and predictions.
Last chance of the game for Broncos at Chiefs
The latest odds courtesy of DraftKings:
· Money line: Denver Broncos (+124), Kansas City Chiefs (-148)
· SPREAD: Chiefs -3
· in total: 42.5
The opening spread for this game was Chiefs -2.5, which is now Chiefs -3 indicating money backing Mahomes at home on his return. the total dropped to 42.5 from the opener of 43.5.
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Broncos at Chiefs expert picks and predictions
Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports) likes Under 42.5 at Arrowhead:
“Kansas City was 8-1 under at home last year and Denver was 3-0 under as a road favorite. This is a divisional game in Week 1 and a primetime game that closes the opening week. I’m going with the Under. Mahomes is coming back from a season-ending injury and the offense is coming off a year where the top few will score 20 points per game since 1. be spectacular and the defense will again Kansas City will be the backbone of their Under 42.5 success.
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Broncos at Chiefs betting trends and stats
- Kansas City was 6-10-1 ATS last season, ranking fourth worst
- Denver was 9-9-1 ATS last season after going an NFL-best 12-6 in 2024
- Kansas City was an NFL best 13-4 against the Under last year
- Denver was 11-8 against the Under last year, ranking sixth best
- The Chiefs went 4-9-1 ATS as a favorite in 2025, ranking fifth-worst
- The Broncos went an NFL-best 5-0-1 ATS as an underdog in 2025
- The Chiefs were an NFL-best 8-1 under at home in 2025
- The Broncos went 4-3 against the Under on the road last year and 3-0 against the Under as a road loser.
- Kenneth Walker III has 219 or more carries in three of four seasons
- Xavier Worthy had three catches on eight targets for 25 yards against Denver last season
- Bo Nix went 50 of 75 (66.7%) passing for 477 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT vs. Kansas City last year
- Nick Bolton had 18 tackles and an interception against Denver last year
Quarterback matchup for the Broncos at the Chiefs
· Denver: Bo Nix – Through 34 games, the consistency is there for Nix. He posted similar numbers as a rookie through his second year, so the question is can he take a step forward with his progression? Denver is 24-10 in the regular season with the Nix and added Jaylen Waddle be his WR1. Waddle is coming off back-to-back seasons of less than 1,000 yards due to playing multiple quarterbacks. Denver’s offense improved over the offseason, and the defense won’t have Nix chasing from behind or falling out of the game plan too often.
· Kansas City: Patrick Mahomes – All eyes will be on Mahomes on Monday night. The crowd will sway and we have to wait Andy Reid to have something fun mapped out on the first drive. The Chiefs averaged 21.8 points per game (20th) last season, their lowest since finishing last in 2012 at 13.2 PPG. Kansas City signed RB Kenneth Walker IIIbut besides, they are relying on the return of production from Xavier Worthy, Rashi RiceAND Travis Kelce. Mahomes has a career low 62.7 completion percentage and health/availability was a big question mark for the receiving corps last year.
Broncos on Injury Chiefs Update
- Kansas City’s DE R Mason Thomas (hamstring)
- Kansas City OT Josh Simmons (back) is questionable
- Denver CB Riley Moss (ribs) is questionable
- Denver WR Marvin Mims (foot) is questionable
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