ESPN’s morning show ‘Get Up’ was interrupted on Tuesday by breaking news that set the tone for what promises to be one of the most anticipated openers in recent NFL history.
The Denver Broncos will travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs in the first Monday Night Football game of the 2026 season on September 14.
The news broke in stages. NFL insider Adam Schefter first reported the matchup itself, noting that the game site had not yet been confirmed. Hours later, a key update arrived: the game will be played at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, with the Chiefs hosting. The full 2026 schedule release is set for Thursday evening. It comes after the NFL’s smallest player was cut by the Broncos before ever playing a game.
The Broncos snapped the Chiefs’ nine-year AFC West title streak last season, finishing 14-3 to claim the No. 1 seed in the AFC before falling to the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.
Denver won three of its last four games against Kansas City and swept the Chiefs twice in the regular season in 2025, including a Christmas Day prime-time victory at Arrowhead, the Broncos’ first road win in Kansas City since 2015.
Former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, previewing the game during ESPN coverage, pointed specifically to the quarterback health storylines surrounding both franchises.
Patrick Mahomes tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on December 14, and the biggest question hanging over the opener is whether he will be ready for Week 1. Mahomes himself has been direct about his intentions.
“I wanna be ready for Week 1. That’s my goal — to play in that Week 1 game and have no restrictions,” he said in January.
Aikman, who will be calling Super Bowl 61 alongside Joe Buck at the end of the season, offered his own read on what to expect from Kansas City. “I expect them to come back and be the team that we’ve seen for much of the last decade,” he said on air.
Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL in his left knee and also tore his LCL(Image: Getty)
Bo Nix and the Broncos carry their own injury question into the opener. The second-year quarterback broke a bone in his right ankle in January during the AFC playoffs and did not play in the championship game. He is expected to be healthy for training camp.
The NFL’s decision to place this matchup in prime time in Week 1 is itself a statement of confidence that Mahomes will be available.
The league had previously steered the Chiefs away from international games this season in consideration of his recovery timeline, but placing them in Monday Night Football’s opening slot suggests the league believes its messaging from Kansas City’s camp that Mahomes is ahead of schedule.
The full schedule, which will also include the Bills hosting the Lions on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 in their new stadium and the Cowboys visiting the Giants in the Sunday Night Football opener, will be announced Thursday.
