Why Beating the Broncos in Week One Will Set the Tone for Kansas City in 2026
The Kansas City Chiefs have dominated the AFC West, winning nine consecutive division titles until last season, when the Denver Broncos took the crown. In their Week 11 game in 2025, Denver won 22-19, then won their second matchup in Week 17, 20-13, completing a sweep. Having been injured in Week 15 against the Chargers with a torn ACL and LCL, Patrick Mahomes wasn’t available for the second contest against the Broncos; it was Chris Oladokun, a third-string practice-squad QB, taking snaps behind center to wind down a season that was long lost. These were tight games, even with Oladokun throwing the ball, with Kansas City’s defense doing its part to give the offense a chance. With a retooled defense and a motivated offense behind their three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback, who’s trending toward starting in Week One, Kansas City could open its 2026 season with the defeat of a bitter division rival to put the league on notice that the dynasty hasn’t gone anywhere.
The Biggest Concern: Personnel Turnover on Defense
The Mile High Misfits had a top-five defense last year and ranked third in the league in points allowed per game. The Chiefs ranked sixth in the league in points allowed. On that side of the ball, the two division rivals measured closely to one another. However, while Denver’s defense remains largely intact from last year, Kansas City had a lot of turnover in the offseason, losing such marquee players as All-Pro Trent McDuffie in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams and Jaylen Watson to free agency, who also would go to the Rams. Linebacker Leo Chenal went to free agency to ultimately play for the Washington Commanders. Chenal was ranked 17th overall out of 88 qualified linebackers in 2025. The Chiefs also lost two starting players along their defensive line in Charles Omenihu and Derrick Nnadi. Kansas City made a concerted effort, however, to plug those holes on defense through the draft, selecting two first-rounders, a second-rounder, and a fourth-rounder in Mansoor Delane, Peter Woods, R. Mason Thomas, and Jadon Canady. With six-time All-Pro Chris Jones still anchoring the defense, along with ‘Furious George,’ George Karlaftis, and the addition of Khyiris Tonga, Hall of Fame-caliber defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has enough horses in the stable to give Denver’s offense a run for their money, and everyone else, for that matter.
The Return of Mahomes
The edge KC has over everyone in the league, no matter what the stats say, is who they have behind center. At 17-4, the two-time League MVP has a season’s worth of playoff victories. Before 2025, he had never experienced a missed postseason run, and last year serves as a motivator to not repeat that feeling. Well ahead of schedule on rehabbing his knee, he has the singular focus of getting back onto the field in Week One to let Denver know who the rightful division leader is. This year, Mahomes’ offense has a boost in coaching that will pay off huge on the field with the return of Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator and the addition of Chad O’Shea as wide receiver coach. With Bieniemy’s experience in KC through two Super Bowl wins and O’Shea’s experience through three Super Bowl wins in New England, the offense can be expected to be sharper than what Denver’s defense experienced last year.
A Change in Offensive Philosophy
The financial investment Kansas City has made in Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, indicates a significant commitment to the run. With a retooled running back room to include, in addition to Walker, Emari Demercado, and Emmett Johnson, who many consider the second-best running back in the 2026 draft, the Chiefs have telegraphed a serious commitment to the run. An offensive element that hasn’t been consistently effective since Kareem Hunt’s first stint at Arrowhead. There’s also the fun fact that in Week One of the 2024 season, a running back rushed for 103 yards and one touchdown against Denver’s third-ranked defense. That running back? Walker.
The Division, Then the League
With a win over Denver in Week One, the Chiefs would receive a massive boost in morale, defeating not only a division rival but the current division champion who beat them twice last year. It would give them the momentum to go on a roll the next four games against the Colts, Dolphins, Raiders, and Chargers before facing the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in Week Seven. Every game after Seattle is outright winnable up to the Cardinals in Week 11; after that, it is a gauntlet of the Bills, Rams, Bengals, Patriots, and 49ers. The Chiefs have been counted out before, over and over again, and especially so in the coming 2026 season. There is a hope the Chiefs won’t succeed, that they’ll fade away. They won’t. The Chiefs will rise as they always have, on the hot air of their naysayers.
