In the final game of Week 1, the Kansas City Chiefs host division rival Denver Broncos on "Monday Night Football." Kansas City enters this game coming off a dreadful season, having gone just 6-11 and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Chiefs had won the division in each of the previous nine seasons before slumping to third place in the AFC West last year. And all of that was just the appetizer for the biggest blow, which was Patrick Mahomes suffering a torn ACL toward the end of the year.
Mahomes is back for this game, though, and the Chiefs are out to reclaim their place at the top of the division. The team that stole their spot, of course, is Monday night's opponent. The Broncos raced to a 14-3 record in 2025, claiming the No. 1 seed in the AFC along the way.
They made a trip to the AFC title game, only to fall short against the New England Patriots in a game they played without starting quarterback Bo Nix, who suffered a broken ankle in the team's previous game. Nix is back in action for this game, though, and will look to shut the door on Kansas City's efforts to retake the division. Will the Chiefs win in Mahomes' return to the lineup, or will the Broncos pull off the upset on the road?
We'll find out soon enough. But before we break down some key storylines, here's a look at how you can watch the game. Mahomes finished last season with a career-low 62.7% completion rate, and he averaged only 7.1 yards per attempt.
His 22 touchdown passes were a career low as well. He propped up the Chiefs' offense with the best rushing season of his career, however, running for 422 yards and five scores. He's already said he won't run as often in his return from an ACL tear, so the Chiefs will need him to get back to being a more efficient passer in order to have success offensively.
Nix heads into Year 3 having thrown for at least 3,700 yards and 25 touchdowns in each of his first two seasons. He went 10-7 as a rookie and 14-3 as a sophomore, with the Broncos sporting one of the league's better supporting casts and an elite defense. He's reportedly full strength in his return from the ankle injury, but we'll see how much it affects his mobility, as he routinely runs (he had 80-plus rushing attempts in his first two seasons) or makes plays outside the structure of the offense.
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