Chiefs host Broncos on Monday Night Football as Mahomes and Nix return
Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix are set to play their first games of the 2026 season as Kansas City hosts Denver in the final Monday Night Football matchup of Week 1.
Kansas City will open its Arrowhead Stadium on Monday night for the final game of Week 1, pitting the Chiefs against the Denver Broncos. Both teams feature quarterbacks returning from major injuries: Patrick Mahomes is listed as active after missing the remainder of the 2025 season with a torn ACL, while Bo Nix is back after an ankle injury that ended his previous campaign.
The Chiefs entered the 2026 season after being eliminated from the playoffs in the game where Mahomes was injured. They added free-agent running back Kenneth Walker III to bolster a revamped rushing attack. Denver, the previous year’s AFC championship participant, lost the conference title 10-7 to the New England Patriots and will look to improve its offense with the offseason acquisition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle from Miami.
The contest begins at 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time and will be televised on ABC and streamed on ESPN. Live updates and highlights are available through the Yahoo Sports platform.