4 matchups to watch when Broncos face Chiefs in Week 1 - Broncos Wire

Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season has arrived and the Denver Broncos, fresh off being the top seed in the AFC last year, will travel to Arrowhead Stadium to battle their old rival, the Kansas City Chiefs!

The Broncos last opened a season on Monday Night Football just four years ago when they faced the Seattle Seahawks to kick off the 2022 season. The Broncos lost that game by one point and are hoping for a much different outcome and better start to this season.

The Chiefs are coming off an uncharacteristically bad season in which they missed the playoffs, were swept by the Broncos, and saw Patrick Mahomes suffer a torn ACL and LCL. Though there were some early concern over whether or not Mahomes would be ready to take the field for this game, all signs point to him getting the start and being on the field for the first time since last December.

This will be a great test to open the season for both teams, who each have plenty to prove. The Chiefs will be looking to show that last season's 6-11 record was a fluke, while the Broncos will be out to show the world that their 14-3 finish last season and near trip to the Super Bowl was just the start of big things for the franchise.

Here, we will take a look at four matchups to watch that could decide the outcome of this game.

Chiefs starting left tackle Josh Simmons is not expected to suit up for KC in this game. If that is the case, the Chiefs could be putting Mahomes in a dangerous spot for his first game back.

Nik Bonitto has become one of the league's top pass rushers, and he could have a field day against either Kahlil Benson or Diego Pounds, one of whom would be forced into the starting lineup if Simmons can't go. Even if Bonitto didn't sack Mahomes multiple times, the pressure he could put on him could throw off the Chiefs' rhythm and disrupt their game plan entirely.

In almost every Broncos game this season, the assignment Riley Moss draws will be one of the key matchups to watch, simply because of how much attention he will get. As long as he plays opposite Patrick Surtain II, the opponent will target him early and often.

If Surtain draws Rashee Rice and Ja'Quan McMillian is responsible for Xavier Worthy out of the slot, that should leave Moss matched up against Tyquan Thornton, a big and deceptively quick wide receiver for the Chiefs.

Mahomes loves to target Thornton deep down the field, and Moss should expect that at least once in this game. However, knowing how many times Moss was flagged for defensive pass interference (10) last year, don't be surprised if they look to draw a flag on him in this one by trying Thornton deep two or three times.

If there is a concern on the Broncos' defense, it's an inside linebacker and, more specifically, tight ends taking advantage of them in the passing game. That's been a thing for like, forever, right?

The Chiefs are going to try and get their veteran pass-catcher, Kelce, matched up one-on-one against either Alex Singleton or Justin Strnad quite often in this game. Kelce may be aging, but he knows how to get open and he can rip off chunks of yardage in this game by taking advantage of these two, who will have to show the ability to contain him over the middle, or it will become the bread and butter of the Chiefs' offense in this game.

In the two games against the Broncos last year, the Chiefs rushed for a total of 144 yards on 33 attempts (72 yards per game). The Broncos will take that every time.

The Chiefs went out and made one of the biggest acquisitions of the offseason, adding Super Bowl LX MVP Kenneth Walker. Kansas City is going to want to be a run-first team in this game, especially if Simmons is out, so it will be on the Broncos to shut that down and force the Chiefs to throw the ball.

It sounds crazy to suggest the Broncos should want Mahomes to throw the ball, but that is the proper plan of attack in this game. Push Mahomes off his spot and make him become mobile on his reconstructed knee. That starts with limiting the Chiefs' rushing attack.

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